Horatio u. .>,.,. 



A Srrnri 



0^ r ^ ? 1 1 n 9 



GIVEN TO THE 



initial 0f ||onor IC^Ston 



nf tl|r Mnitril g'Jatra 



By the Local Members and Citizens of Philadelphia 



Sl)ur0i>ai| m\h iFrt^a^. Niibrmbrr fi mxh 7, 1902 



Pror^^btuQfi iif tlTi> ffirgtnn 



IN 



iFrtlian. Nohpmbrr 7, 1902 



National Officers for 1902 

MOSES VEALE, Commander, Philadelphia, Pa, 

PATRICK J. KYLE, S. V. Commander, Charlestown, Mass. 

CHARLES A. ORR, J. V. Commander, Buffalo, N. Y. 

JAMES MILLER, Chaplain, Philadelphia, Pa. 

WM. J. WRAY, Adjutant, 122 S. Seventh Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 

CHARLES A. CLARK, Judge Advocate, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

GABRIEL GRANT, M.D., Surgeon, New York, N. Y. 

NOBLE D. PRESTON, Quartermaster, 2312 Poplar Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 

WM. L. HILL, Inspector, Portsmouth, N. H. 

J. MADISON DRAKE, Historian, Elizabeth, N. J. 



Executive Committee 

STEPHEN P. CORLISS, Chairman, Albany, N. Y. 
M. EMMETT URELL, Washington, D. C. 
SYLVESTER H. MARTIN, Philadelphia, Pa. 
JOHN C. HUNTERSON, Philadelphia, Pa. 
JOHN F. MACKIE, Philadelphia, Pa. 






I. 



Minutes 



Twelfth Annual Convention of the Medal of Honor 
Legion of the United States 



In response to the call of Commander Moses Veale, the companions 
of tlie .Medal of Honor L 'gion of the United States met in convention 
in Pliiladelpliia on Tliursday and Friday, November Gtli and 7th, 1902. 
The Pliiladelphia Contingent of the Medal of Honor Legion, with 
Colonel Charles M. Retts, cliairman, and William J. Wray, secretary, 
addressed themselves to the pleasant task of providing entertain- 
n)ent for the visitiiig companions that sliould fully sustain the proud 
character oin- city had attained among all classes, and the soldier ele- 
ment in particular, for generous and hearty liospitality. Several meet- 
ings of the Contingent were held. Tlie following committees were 
ajipointed: 



Local 

BANQUET 

Charles .M. Betts, Cliairman. 
John F. Mackie, 
St. Clair A. Mulholland, 
John C. Jluiitersoii, 
Noble D. Preston, 
•Moses Veale, 
Wm. J. Wray. 

PRINTING 

Noble 1). Preston, Cliaiiinan. 
Edmund English, 
J. Ceorge Ortli, 
Geo. H. Stockman, 
Martin E. Scheibner. 

HOTELS 

John C. Iliniteisuii, Chairman. 
Wm. K. D. Blackwood, 
Georfie A. Sidman, ^ 

J. AVallace Scott, * 

Peter McAdams, 
John C. E'wing. 
J. Henry White. 

HALL AND DECORATIONS 

Jno. F. .Mackie, Cliairman. 
Daniel Caldwell, 
Jas. G. Clark, 
Joseph Fisher, 
John Lawson. 

CONCERT 

St. Clair A. Mulliolland. 
Moses Veale. 



COMMITTEES 

PRESS 

Sylvester H. Martin, Chairman. 

St. Clair A. Mulholland, 

O. W. Bennett, 

John Wainwright, 

J. Parke Postles, 

Eaward J. Gilligan, 

Alfred J. Sellers. 

SOUVENIRS 

Wm. J. Wiay. Cliairman. 
Sylvester H. ^lartin, 
Charles M. Betts. 

FINANCE 

St. Clair A. .Mulholland, Chairman. 

(has. .M. Betts, Treasurer. 

W'm. J. Wray, Secretary. 

Kichard Binder, 

John C. Ewing, 

Frank Furne.ss, 

James IMiller, 

Sylvestei- H. .Martin, 

.Nlichael McKeever, 

(reorge C. Piatt, 

Noble 1). Preston, 

Elhvood D. Williams, 

Moses ^*eale, 

John H. R. Storey. 

RECEPTION 

Moses Veale. Chairman. 
George C. Thomas, 
Frank Furness, 
St. Clair A. Mulholland. 
Noble D. Preston. 



All the arranffenients were perfected by the various committees and 
the liberal linaiicial responses from members of our own body and the 
citizens generally gave assurance of success before the assembling of 
the companions. 

Headquarters were established at Dooner's Hotel, Mr. Peter 
Dooner, the proprietor, having generously donated the use of his hotel 
parlors for our use during the convention, and also providing a silk 
banner. "Welcome, Medal of Honor Legion," which was afterward pre- 
sented to the Philadelphia Contingent. 

The following program had been printed, an<l a copy was given to 
each companion as soon as he registered: 

Philadelphia Contingent, Medal of Honor Legion, Greeting 
of the Medal of Honor Legion of the United States 

r Thursday and Friday, November fith and 7th, 1002. 

,» Headquarters, Dooner's Hotel, 

Tenth, between Market and Chestnut Streets. 

PROGRAM 

Thursday, November fith. 

10 A. M.— Companions will report to the Adjutant at Headcjuarters upon 
their arrival. 

7 P. M.— Keception: Foyer, stage entrance. Locust street above 

Broad, Academy of Music. 

8 1'. M.— Concert: Academy of Music, Broad and Locust streets. 

Friday, November 7th. 

J> A. ^[.--Convention: Independence Hall. Chestnut, between Fifth 

and Sixth streets. 
2 P. M.— Carriage ride: Assemble at headcpiarters parlors, Dooner's 

Hotel. 
7 1'. M.— Banquet: I'nion League, Broad and Sansoni streets. Those 

accompanied by ladies will be admitted at the Moravian 

street entrance. 
W. J. WRAY, Secretary. CHAS. M. BETTS, President. 

The Union League, whose name is a synonym of noble deeds and 
patriotic actions, at once gave its assurance of paternal care by offer- 
ing to provide a banquet in its magnificent banqueting hall for the 
companions and their ladies. This was to be a distinguished honor, 
as never l>efore had ladies been admitted within the building on a sim- 
ilar occasion. 

The various committees, by hard work, lovingly done, had every- 
thing In readiness in good season, and Chairman Betts was in posses- 
sion of sufficient funds to guarantee the complete success of the Con- 
tingent's plans, including the payment, for the most part, of this pam- 
phlet. Later, General Sickles, the new Commander, recpiested the 
Quartermaster to have additional copies sufficient in number to pro- 
vide every holder of a Medal of Honor with a copy, for which General 
Sickles, personally, bears the additional expense. 

At 0.45 P. M. a reception was held in the foyer of the Academy of 
Music, at Avhich his Honor Mayor Ashbridge and prominent army and 
navy officers, Loyal Legion and G. A. R. representatives, and leading 
citizens took part. Music for the occasion was furnished by Professor 
Glnding's orchestra. A pleasant feature was the large number of 
ladies present. 

Following the reception, at 8 o'clock, came the complimentary con- 
cert in the Academy of Music. The concert had been arranged by 



Marlnme Louise Natali-CJrahain. She early entered Into the spirit of 
the occasion und the Music Committee, consisting of Commander Veale 
and General St. Clair A. Mulholland, found pleasure in giving to her 
a flee hand in making arrangements. Her pronounced ability as an 
or^'Jinizer of musical talent and her own brilliant voice contributed 
much to the great success of the entertainment. The large house was 
well filled with a highly appreciative audience. The following pro- 
gram was presented and admirably rendered, many of the pieces call- 
ing for encores: 

American Academy of Music 

CONCERT 

in honor of "Congress Medal of Honor Legion" 

Thursday Evening, November 6, '02. 



PROGRAM 
PART I 

1. Overture^Tanhhauser . Wagner 

(Jermania Orchestra. 
Under the direction of Mr. Wm. Stoll, Jr. 

2. Richelieu Murray 

Mr. Henry ITotz. 

3. Visions Guy d'Hardelot 

Miss Anna Elizabetli Kelly. 
Violin 01)ligato by Mr. Edwin D. Brill. 

4. Ah, Non Credea Thomas 

Mr. Ernest J. Hill. 

5. Polonalse-Mignon Thomas 

Mme. Louise Natall. 
Orchestra under the direction of Mr. S. Behrens. 

6. (a^ The Day of the Lord Kreutzer 

(b) My Old Iventucky Home Foster 

United Singers of Philadelphia. 
Under the direction of Mr. H. G. Kumme. 

INTERMISSION. 



PART II 

7. Sextette-I^ucia Donizetti 

Mme. Natali, Mr. E. J. Hill, Mr. Frank B. Ball, 
Miss E. Skilton, Mr. I. Lord, ISIr. Henry Hotz. 

8. (a) Nocturne Brassln 

(b) Canzonetta Dupont 

Mrs. J. Percy Warr. 

9. O: Mio Feniaiulo Donizetti 

Miss Ethel Skilton. 

10. Largo al Factotum Rossini 

Mr. Frank B. Ball. 

IL (at Sleeping for the Flag iby request) Dauks 

^b) She Stoops to Con<iuer Roeckle 

Miss Anna Elizabeth Kelly. 

12. Star Spangled Banner Arnold 

Mme. Louise Natali. 

Directors of Orchestra. Mr. Wm. Stoll, Jr., and ]\Ir. S. Behrens. 
.Accompanists, ^^r. Frederick I>. Peakes and Mrs. Frank B. Ball. 
The audience will kindly join in the chorus of Star Spangled Banner. 



ADJUTANT'S REPORT 

The twelfth annual coMvej)tion of the Medal of Honor Legion of 
the United States conA-ened in the Declaration Chamber of the revered 
old Independence Hall, in Philadelphia, on Friday, November 7, 1902, at 
*J A. M. 

In calling; the convention to order. Commander Closes Veale spoke 
of the historic room in which the companions were assembled, paid a 
glowinj;- trii)ute to our organization and feelingly expressed his great 
aj.ipre<-iation of the honor of having served as Commander of so gallant 
and honoralde a body of men. He then called for the reading of the 
roll of members. 

The following eomi)anions responded to the roll call by the Adjutant: 

George E. Albee. New Haven. Conn.; Everett W. Anderson. Phoe- 
nixville. Pa.: Marion T. Anderson, Llewellyn G. Estes, Christian A. 
Fleetwood, Charles F. Kand. Edwin M. Tr'uell and M. Emmit Urell. 
Washington. D. C: William Archinal, Trenton. N. .L; George G. Bene- 
dict and Oliver O. Howard. Burlington, Vt.: John Bresnan, George W. 
Brush. Cornelius Cronin. John Evans, Walter Jamieson. Horatio C. 
King. ^^Mlliam Matthews. Walter Thorn and James W. Webb, Brook- 
lyn, N. Y.: Franklin G. Butterworth, Derby Line. Conn.: Thomas Cruse, 
and Henry C. Merriain, Wayne, Pa.; Joseph K. Corson, Plymouth Meet- 
ing, Pa.; Charles C. Davis, Alexander H. Mitchell, John C. Delaney and 
Ferdinand F. Kohm. Harrisburg, Pa.; Austin J. Durney, Centerville, 
Md.; J. Madison Drake, Elizabeth, N. J.; .Joseph L. Follett, John B. 
Fassett. Gabriel (irant, Edward P. Grimes. William S. Hubbell, Abram 
P. Haring. William L. Heermance, Benjamin B. Levy, George W^ Min- 
dil. Charles E. Morse. John J. Nolan and Daniel E. Sickles, New York 
city; Frederick Fuger and Charles E. Phelps. Baltimore, Md.; Chester 
S. Furman. Bloomsburg, Pa.; Edward L. Gilligan, Oxford, Pa.; Samuel 
B. Home. Winstead. Conn.; Charles H. Houghton, Jersey City, N. J.; 
William H. Howe. Everitt. Mass.; G. H. Harrison and Patrick Kyle, 
Charlestown. ]\rass. ; Francis Hall. Plattsburg. N. Y.; Charles F. Hop- 
kins, Boonton, N. J.; George H. ISIaynard, Waltham, Mass.; George \V. 
Mears. Rupert. Pa.; Philip Petty, Daggett, Pa.; J. Park Postles and 
John A^'ainwright. Wilmington, Del.; Henry W^. Piowe. Boston, Mass.; 
Cyrus Sears, Hai-pster. Ohio; IMartin E. Scheibner. Camden, N. J.; 
Henry C. Wartteld. I'hilllpsburg, Pa.; Paul H. Weinert, Brighton. Mass.; 
James M. Young. Jamestown, N. Y'.; Charles M. Betts, O. AV. Bennett, 
Richard Binder. William R. D. Blackwood, Richard Connor. Daniel 
Caldwell. James G. Clark. N. H. Edgerton. Edmund English, John C. 
Ewing. Frank Furness, Samuel Goodman. John C. Hnnterson. John H. 
Lawson. John F. Mackie. Slyvester H. Martin. James :Miller. St. Clair 
A. Mulholland. Peter McAdams. ^Michael McKecver. Jacob G. Orth, 
George C. Piatt. Noble D. Preston. Robert Penn. J. W.allace Scott, A. 
J. Sellers, John H. R. Storey, George D. Sidman, George H. Stockman, 
Moses Veale. John M. Yanderslice. J. Henry AMiite. Elwood N. Wil- 
liams, William J. Wray and >Villiam R. Frick. Philadelphia. 

Second Class Members— Richard C. R. Binder. Thomas G. Clark, 
Anna S. Hunterson, Elizabeth M. McKeever. May E. Richardson, A. 
Y. Blackwood Sinnickson. William McD. Yeale and Charles W. Wil- 
liams. Philadelphia: Gerald E. Cronin and Laura B. Thorn, Brooklyn. 
N. Y.; Harry I^. Follett. New York city: G. Park Postles and William 
H. M. Shilling. Wilmington. Del. 

The Chaplain then offered an earnest and elotpient prayer, after 
which the Connnander annomiced his honor. Mayor Samuel H. Asli- 
bridge. The Mayor was escorted to the platform and in a few well- 
chosen, patriotic and eloquent words extended on behalf of the city a 
hearty welcome to the Legion. The Commander responded on beli;ilf 
of the Legion, thanking the Mayor and citizens, after which the Maym- 
took his leave amid hearty applause. The Commander then announced 
the convention open for business. 



The Adjutaiifs report showed new members received during die 
\e:ir. lirst class, 2:\; second class, 6; deaths, first class, 13, second class, 
'J: resignations, first class, 1; advanced from second to first class by in- 
heritance, 2; total uKunbership, first class. 480; second class, G8— 548. 
Ueturned tlianks to the Commander for selecting him for the honored 
I»t>sition of Adjutant, etc. 

The Chaplain's report showed his attendance at all the meetings of 
the I'hiladelphia Contingent and present at the interment of Compan 
ion Collis. On motion report was received and placed on file. 

A letter was read from the (irand Masonic Lodge of renns.vlvania, 
e^tending an invitation to tlu> Legion to visit tin- Masonic Temple, 
wIhtc the "NVashinglon relics vrere exhibited. T'i)()n motion received 
with thanks of the TiOgion. 

On motion tlie convention went into an executive session. 

On motion of the Adjutant the executive session rose. 

On motion of Companion Thorn, of New York, the convention again 
resolved into an executive session. 

On Motion tlie session I'ose. 

Under the luad of '"new business" communications were read from 
publishers of "Deeds of Valor," asl^ing for aid and endorsenuMit of their 
proposed corrected edition. On motion it was rec-eived and filed. 

'J he following resolution, ])y Companion King, of New York, was 
ado])1ed: 

Kesolved. Tlinf \]n> Mc(ial of Honor Legion, in session at its an- 
nual reunion in Inde])endence Hall. Philadelphia, cordially endorse the 
bill now i)ending in Congress and passed by the Senate, for the estab- 
lishment of National Parks, embracing the battlefields of Fredericks- 
burg, Chancellorsville, the Wilderness and Spottsylvania, and urgently 
request its passage at the approaching session. 

Companion P.rush. of New York, then offered the following: 

Kesolved. That the thanks of the Medal of Honor Legion be extend- 
ed to the Pliila(lc]i);iia Contingent of the Legion, and the patriotic citi- 
zens of Philadelphi.i for the hearty welcome which they have extended, 
nnd for the generous provisions which they have made for the comfort 
and entertainment of the visiting Companions and ladies. Unani- 
mously adopted. 

On motion the sum of .'?12r>.00 was voted to Quartermaster Preston 
for services durini;- the year. 

Companion lOstes, of Washington, stated that the time had arrived 
when a new set of By-Laws should l)e framed, and moved the ap- 
pointment of a committee for such purpose. The Commander appointed 
Estes. of Washington. Adjutant Wray and Quartermaster Preston as 
the connnittee, to report at next reunion. 

It w:is stated th.'it Companion Blackmar, of Boston, had met with an 
accident during the (i. A. R. Encampment at Washington, by being 
thrown from his horse, and was confined to l)is home and unable to 
be present. On motion a vote of symi)atliy was extended to him by 
the convention. 

Here a photographer from one of the daily newspapers re(!uested 
the Companions to remain (piiet and look pleasant while he took a 
"time" picture, which Avas done with excellent results. 

Election for oftii'crs being in order, the following Companions were 
placed in nomination: 

«;ommander, Ceneral Daniel E. Sickles, of New York: Senior Vice 
Commander. C.eneral L. (L Estes. of Washington. D. C; Jimior Vice 
Commander, .losei'h <). (iregg. Great P'alls. ^lontana: Chaplain, Rev. 
William S. Hubbell. of New York. 

The pleasing feature of these nominations were the seconding of 
General Sickles for Connnander by General Howard, in his felicitous 
way, and the placing of the name of Hubbell for Chaplain by the re- 
tiring Chaplain. .Miller. Th«>re being no opposition, the .Vdjutant was 
instructed to cast the ballot, and they were declared duly elected. 



Letter was read from Companion White, of Pliilaclolpliia, referred 
to the Committee on Revision of By-Laws. 

Companion Albee, of Connecticnt, was talven ill upon his arrival in 
the city, and was unable to be present at the convention, and wished 
It stated that an Invitation was extended by Companion General Shat- 
ter and the citizens of Los Anjieles, California, for the next meeting 
of the Legion be held there during the G. A. R. Encampment in that 
State, promising a most cordial and hearty welcome. Under the rules 
the invitation was referred to the Commander and Executive Com- 
mittee. 

After Commander Veale thanking the Companions for the support 
they had given him during his administration, and for the large at- 
tendance at the reunion, on motion the convention adjourned. 

W. J. WRAY, Adjutant 

A local photographer, Mr. Llansbury, 914 Chestnut street, requested 
the Companions to assemble in front of the Independence Hall for the 
purpose of having a photograph taken, which was done after adjourn- 
ment. A beautiful, large-sized photograph of all the Companions was 
the result. . 

QUARTERMASTER'S REPORT 

Herewith 1 submit report as Quartermaster of the Medal of Houor 
Legion from the date of my appointment, October 19th, 1901, to No- 
vember Istj 1902: 

GENERAL REPORT 
There were at the time the books were turned over to me by my 
predecessor- 
First Class members 471 

" " Since received (four of whom paid entrance fees to 

my predecessor) 21 

" " Since received by inheritance from original members. 2 

A total of 494 

Died during the year 13 

Dropped from the rolls at his own request 1 

14 

Leaving total First Class members to date 480 

or 88 per cent, of the membership. Fii'st Class. 

Second Class Members, October 19. 1901 66 

" " " since elected 6 

A total for the year 72 

Died during the year 2 

Advanced to First Class by inheritance 2 

4 

Leaving total Second Class members to date (>8 

And a total membership of 548 

12 per cent, of which is Second Class. 
Of the total membership, there were — 

From those who served in the Army 422 

From those who served in the Navy 56 

— 478 

(Two of the 480 having been advanced from Second Class.) 
or 90 per cent, of the Armj^ and 10 per cent, of the Navy. 
Up to October 31, 1897, the date of the circular issued hy the War 
Department of Medals of Honor conferred by the Secretary of War, 
there had been awarded Army Medals of Honor 2378. Of these there 
were issued to the 27th Maine Infantry. 864, and to the President l^in- 
coln Funeral Escort, 30. Total 894. Leaving as the actual number isi- 

8 



sued in accordance with the law, 14S4. This is (53 per cent, of the entire 
issue to dates given. In all mentions of the number of medals issued I 
shall therefore confine myself to the latter number— 1484. 

The awards of Medals of Honor by the Secretary of War to October 
31, 1897, were as follows: 

For Distinguished Gallantry in the Army, Record to October 31, 

. . ,-,,,, 1897 Number of MeJals For the 

Action in which Aledal was won. in each 

action. 

At sundry times and places 140 



Vicksburg, Miss. . . 

(Xuml)er of men engaged, 50,008. One medal to every 

481 men.) 

Petersburg, V'a 

(Approximately 100.000 men engaged. One medal to 

1333 men.) 

Sailor's Creek, \a 

(Number of men engaged, 24,000. One medal to every 

400.) 

Gettysburg, Ta 

(Number of men engaged, S2,(J<X). One medal to everv 

1577.) 

Spottsylvania. Va 

(Number of men engaged, approximately 100,000. One 

medal to everj^ 2857.) 

Chapin's Farm, V'a 

Fredricksburg, ^'a 

Appomattox. Va 

Chancellors ville. Va 

Cedar Creek. \'a '. 

Wilderness. Va 

Antietam. I\Id 

Five I'^orks. \i\ 

Nashville, Tenn 

Waynesboro. Va 

Hatcher's IJun, \a 

Winchester, Va 

Bull Run. Va 

Blakeley. Ala. 

Weldon Railroad. Va 

lied Itiver, 'I'exas 

Missionaiy Kidge. Tenn 

Franklin, Tenn 

Paine's (^ross Koads, Va 

Stone River, Tenn 

Atlanta. (Ja 

Richmond. Va 

Port Ilud.son. La 

Nolensville. Tenn 

Fair Oaks. Va 

Williamsburg, Va 

Gaines Mills, Va 

Cold Harbor. Va 

Cbickamauga. Tenn 

Columbus. (Ja 

Salem Heights. Va 

Fort Stedman. Va 

Fort Fisher. N. C 

Resaca, Ga 

Corinth, Miss 

Wilson's Creek, Mo 



capture 

of flags. 

18 



104 



GO 



00 



28 



49 



23 



19 



31 


4 


25 


1 


23 


10 


22 





22 


11 


21 


4 


18 


3 


17 


14 


17 


14 


17 


15 


10 


5 


14 


7 


14 





13 


9 


12 


8 


11 


1 


10 


1 


9 


7 


9 


9 


8 





8 


1 


8 





8 





8 





7 





7 


1 


7 





7 





7 





7 


7 











3 


6 








3 


5 





5 






Number of Medals For the 
Action in which Medal was won. in each capture 

action. of flags. 

Ashepoo River, (xa 5 

Trevillian Station, Va.; Fisher's HilK Va.; Elk River, 
Tenn.; Soutli ^Mountain, Md.; Lookout JMoiiiitaiii, 
Tenn.; Malvern Hill, Va.; Fort Saunders, Tenn.; Bris- 
toe Station, Va.; Front Royal, Va.; Peach Tree Creek, 
Tenn.; Jonesboro. Ga.; Newberne, N. C; White Oak 
Swamp. Va.. and Fort Harrison, Va., 14 actions, 4 each 56 18 

Dabney's Mills, Va.; Bentonville, N. C; Amelia C. H., 
Va.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Piedmont, Va.; Selma, Ala.; 
NeAvport Barracks, N. C; Honey Hill, S. C; Lee's 
Mills. Va.; Pea Ridse. Ark.; Deep Run. \a. Buzzard's 
Roost, Ga.. and Grand Gulf, La., 13 actions, 3 each. . 39 9 

Blackburn's Ford, Va.; Cedar Mountain, Va.: Baton 
Rouge. La.; Kenesaw Mountain, Ga.; Deep Bottom, 
Ya.: Berry ville, Va.; Monocacy, Md.; The Mine, Va.; 
Battery Gregg, Va.: Ream's Station, Va.; Boydton 
Plank Eoad, A'a.; Farmville, Va.; Rowanty Creek. 
Va.: Laurel Hill, ^'a.: Rappahannock Station, Va.; Dug 
Gap, Ga.: Champion Hill, S. C; Shenandoah Valley. 
Va.: Culloden, Ga.; Harper's Ferry. Va.; Stony Creek, 
Va.: Shiloh, Temi.; Chamberlain's Creek. Va., and 
NcAA^by's Cross Roads, Va., 24 actions, 2 each 48 6 

For eminent services during the "War of the Rebellion, 
offers to remain after expiration of terms of ser- 
vice, etc 13 

Of the 22 men (including 2 civilians) who penetrated 
nearly 200 miles into the enemy's country and cap- 
tured a railroad ti-ain at Big Shanty, Ga 19 

Acts of great gallantry in the early part of the AVar 
of the Rebellion in saving flags, etc., in Texas 3 

Making awards for gallantry in 92 engagements. . 911 

And at sundry times and places 140 

Awards for other acts 35 

lOSG 308 

Awards for gallantry in action in Indian wars since 
the War of the Rebellion 398 

1484 

About 30 per cent, of the awards for gallantry in action as above 
given (1051) Avere for capture of flags from the enemy. 

Of the 104 medals. awarded for gallantry at Vicksburg. 84 Avere con- 
ferred for "gallantry in the charge of the volunteer storming party." 

One Medal of Honor Avas aAvarded to a Avoman. Dr. Mary E. Walker, 
for "services rendered during the AA-ar," and two to Indians for "gallant 
conduct in campaigns and engagements with Apaches" in the Indian 
wars. 

Three of those on Avliom Medals- of Honor were conferred are mentioned as 
Iriving performed three distinct acts of distinguished galluntry ; and tAventy-six, 
tAvo distinct acts, live of the latter having been performed in the Indian Avars. 

No record of names or numbers of those Avho served in the army 
during the Spanish or Chinese wars are obtainable at present, but I 
nm informed by the War Department that a revised list of those 
to whom Medals of Honor have been .awarded by the Secretary of War 
Is in preparation and it is expected Avill soon be issued. 

Through the courtesy of oiu* former Commander, the late Hon. Amos 
J. Cummings. your quartermaster has been furjiished Avith a list of those 
on whom the Secretary of the Navy has conferred Medals of Honor 
up to Januarj- 1, 19f)2. 

TO 



The total number so awarded to January 1, 1902, is 594. As the 
Navy Department book of Medals does not give the dates of issue, nor 
In all cases the date of performance of the act for which the Medal 
was conferred, and as the number conferred by the Secretary of War 
includes only those to October 31, 1897, it is manifestly impossible to 
ascertain the combined number of Medals of Honor issued to any specific 
time. We must, therefore, be content with the knowledge that 1484 
Medals were issued to October 31, 1897. by the Secretary of War, and 
594 by the Secretai-y of the Navy, to January 1. 1902, making a total 
of 2078, with those issued by the Secretary of War from October 31, 
1S97. to .January 1, 1902, to be added, of which we have no knowledge. 

Of the awards made by the Secretary of the Navy 105 were con- 
ferred for distinguished acts of gallanti-y in the Spanish, Chinese and 
Corean wars, and saving persons from drowning since the close of the 
War of the Rebellion. 

The entire issue by the Secretary of the Navy was apportioned as 
follows: 

For Distinguished Acts of Gallantry in the Navy, Record to 
January 1, 1902 

At sundry times and places 137 

At :\robile Bay. August 5, 1864 76 

At Fort Fisher, December 24 and 25, 1864, and January 13, 14, 15, 

1865 54 

At Forts Jackson and St. Philip. April 24, 1862 20 

To members of the V. S. S. Kersarge. for action with and sinking of 

the privateer "Alabama." ofif' Cherbourg, France. June 19, 1864. . 17 
To the five men of U. S. S. Wyalusing, for an unsuccessful attempt 
to destrov the rebel ram "Albemarle," at Plymouth, N. C, on the 

night of May 5. 1864 5 

To those engaged in the destruction of the rebel ram "Albemarle," 

on the night of October 27. ISW 7 

In action with Vieksburg batteries. May 27, 1863 8 

In attempt by men in first cutter of U. S. S. "Rhode Island" to rescue 

crew of sinking Monitor, on the 30th of December, 1862 7 

In the action between the gunboat "Marblehead" and the rebel batter- 
ies on Stono River, on the morning of December 25, 1863 8 

In the action at Port Hudson, March 14, 1863 6 

Five men from the U. S. S. "Santiago de Cuba," the only ones who 
entered P"'ort Fisher In the assault from the fleet, January 15, 

1865 5 

In action between the "Monitor" and "Merrimac" in Hampton Roads, 
Va.. March 19, 1862 1 

349 
Since the War of the Rebellion 

In action at the Corean Forts, June 11, 1871 13 

In siivlng and attempts at saving the lives of drowning per- 
sons (all since the close of the war) 88 101 

450 
In the Spanish and Chinese Wars 

In Cuba 14 

In Philippines 14 

In cutting cables nnder fire at Cienfuegos 50 

In taking the Merrimac into the harbor of Santiago de Cuba. . 10 

In Cu.'intananio 4 

In Chinese War 51 

In heroic action at sea 1 144 

594 



There was 76 per cent, of the awards for distinguished act3 of gal- 
lantry during the War of the Rebellion, and 24 per cent, since that 
time, including the Spanish and Chinese wars. 



FINANCIAL 



Receipts 

Oash received from fees for first class, 17 at $2 each* $34.00 

" " " fees for second class, 6 at $2 each. 12.00 

" " " certificates, first class, 17 at $1 each 17.00 

" " " certificates, second class, 6 at $1 each 6.00 

" " " sale of second class medals, four at $1.50 

each 6.00 

" " " dues, first class 414.50 

" " " dues, second class 41.00 

Total receipts 530.50 

Disbursements 

Cash paid out as per vouchers to November 1, 1902 $386.11 

Cash on hand, November 1, 1902 $144,39 

I will state for the information of the companions, that the quarter- 
master is under bonds in the sum of $1000, wliich is subject to increase 
at the direction of the Commander and Executive Committee. 

The disagreeable duty devolves on me of presenting to the Com- 
panions the condition of the Legion in regard to dues, a never ending 
source of trouble with all kindred organizations. Dues, like doctors' 
bills, are oft times thoughtlessly neglected until the accumulated amount 
sometimes becomes burdensome to pay. I trust I may be pardoned for 
urging upon the Companions the prompt payment of dues. In no other 
way can our honored organization be maintained. 

Your quartermaster assumed the duties and responsibilities of the 
position without a dollar with which to meet expenses. The usual ex- 
penses incident to a change of administration were met, however, new 
books, necessary to a more concise and modern method of keeping ac- 
counts, new forms of papers, such as application blanks, changing of 
old and purchase of new certificates, etc., have involved an outlay, made 
with a constant regard to economy, that has kept the cash balance at a 
low figure. 

The form of application blanks for admission to the Legion, which 1 
have prepared and which has been approved by the Executive Commit- 
tee, I b^elieve meets all the requirements for the protection of the 
Legion in an honorable and dignified manner. 

As will be noticed from the small number of admissions to mem- 
bership during the past year the income from that source, which" in the 
past must have been large, is now quite small. We are therefore de- 
pendent on the annual dues for providing funds for current expenses. 
The members in arrear of dues are as follows: 

First-class Members 

45 In arrears for 1 year $45.00 

32" " " 2 " 64.00 

23 " " " 3 '• 69.00 

16" " " 4 " &4.00 

7" ." " 5 " 35.00 

13" " " 6 " 78.00 

7' 7 " 49.00 

• Thpre were twenty-one new members, but the fees for four were recelred by my 
predecessor. 

12 



4 in 
6 '• 
1 " 

5 " 



for 8 years §32.00 

y ' " 54.00 

" 11 '• 11.00 

" 12 " 60.00 



159 first class members in arrears for $561.00 

Or 33 per cent, of the First Class members in arrears. 

Second-class Members 

9 members in arrears for 1 year 



$9.00 

12.00 

12.00 

12.00 

5.00 

24X)0 

7.0O 

8.00 

18.00 



31 second class members in arrears for $107.00 

Or 45 per cent, of tlie second class in arrears. 

And for tlae entire membership of 548, 35 per cent, are delinquent. 

Under a resolution passed by the Legion, July 19, 1899, the dues of 
twenty-four members, amounting to $121.50, were remitted. But a 
small percentage of these members have since met their obligations in 
the payment of their dues. 

I camiot believe it necessary to remind so honorable a body of men 
of the necessity of promptly meeting their obligations, or at least of pre- 
senting satisfactory reasons to the Commander and Executive Commit- 
tee, why they do not. 

The supply of Rosters and By-Laws is nearly exhausted. As soon 
as sufficient funds are in hand to warrant the undertaking, I will com- 
pile and have published, a creditable, and I trust, correct Roster of 
the members, under instructions from the Commander. 

I would respectfully recommend the appointment of a Committee to 
revise and»prepare for the printer a new Constitution and By-Laws. 
This Committee, if appointed, I would urge to act immediately, as we 
are in need of a new 1)0015:, and in need of one which will clearly define 
and set forth all the rights and duties of the members. 

Approximate estimates for these two publications is for 700 copies of 
Roster, $75. and for 700 copies of By-Laws and Constitution, $25.00. 

I would also recommend the adoption/ of a suitable button or knot 
for Second Class Members. 

Respectfully submitted, 

N. D. PRESTON, 

Quartermaster. 

Philadelphia, November 7, 1902. 



A most graceful tribute was manifested by the city authorities In 
tendering the use of the Declaration Room to the Legion for its delib- 
erations. No organized body had assembled for deliberative purposes 
within its sacred walls for more than one hundred years, as vnW be 
seen by the followiug statement from Mr. Charles S. Keyser, the his- 
torian of Independence Hall: 

Philadelphia, Nov. 14, 1902. 
524 Walnut St. 
To Major Moses Veale. 

Dear Sir:— The Federal Convention to form the Constitution of the 
United States mot in the Declaration Chamber May 14, 1787, and ad- 
journed September 17, 1787. 



13 



The State Convention to ratify for Pennsylvania this Constitution 
met there also on the 20th of November to the 15th of December, 1787. 

The General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church met 
there September, ITS'J. 

The Convention for the framing of the Constitution of Pennsylvania 
of 1789 also met there from November 24, 1789. to September 2, 1790. 

It was occupied then by the Senate of the Legislature of Pennsyl- 
vania until April II, 1799. 

It was occupied by the Supreme Court of the State in 1802. 

The United States Court sat there at one time later. 

The Catholic Emancipation was celebrated by a banquet, the only 
one ever given in that chamber. 

No convention, hoAvever, met there after the convention to frame 
the Constitution of the State of Pennsylvania. 

I think this is reliable. I have found in the account of its use 
which I have collected from various sources no reference to any con- 
vention. Meetings have been held there for various purposes. 
Very respectfully, 

CHARLES S. KEiYSEU. 

At 2 P. M. the Companions reassembled at headquarters, Dooner's 
Hotel, where carriages were taken for a drive to historical and other 
points of interest through the city and Fairmount Park, passing en 
route Franklin Statue, Independence Hall. Betsy Ross' or Flag House, 
Christ Church, location of the house where .Jefferson wrote the Decla- 
ration of Independence, United States Postoffice, Reading Terminal, 
Stephen Girard Statue. City Hall, Broad Street Station. McClellan'a 
Monument. Reynold's Monument, Masonic Temple, Odd Fellows' Tem- 
ple, Baldwin's Locomotive Works, Catholic High School, Public High 
School for Boys, Public Normal School for Girls, United States Mint, 
Washington Monument. Lincoln INIonument, Morton McMichael's Mon- 
ument, Grant's Log Cabin of City Point fame, Joan d' Arc's Monument, 
Spring Garden Water Works, Grant's Monument, General Arnold's 
Mansion of Revolutionary fame. Strawberry Mansion, Park Trolley 
Bridge, Woodslde Park. Belmont Pumping Station, Horticultural Hall, 
Memorial Hall (relic of the Centennial Exhibition), Meade Monument, 
Smith Memorial Arch. William Penn's Mansion in Avhich he lived while 
in the colony. Zoological Gardens, John Penn's Cottage, while Secretary 
of the colony. University of Pennsylvania buildings. Exhibition build- 
ings, reaching headquarters at 5.30. 

The convention of the Medal of Honor Legion was most happily 
terminated with a banquet at the Union League, w^hich for beauty of 
arrangement and perfection of service has seldom been sui-passed. The 
assembling of the guests was like an entry into fairy land. A bewilder- 
ing display of electric lights, flowers and works of art made an im- 
pression on the beholders which will long remain photographed on the 
memory. Over the seat to be occupied by the Commander was ar- 
ranged the words in electric lights of red, white and blue, "]\Iedal of 
Honor Legion." Groat banks of roses, chrysanthemums and other flow- 
ers and plants almost hid from view many of the guests. 

Upon entering the hall each giiest was given a diagram of the tables 
with each seat numbered and the name of the intended occupant print- 
ed on the diagram corresponding to the number. In addition a dainty 
card, having the army bowknot and navy button printed in miniature 
in colors, with the riame of the person who was to occupy the place, 
printed with pen and ink, was found lying on the plate, invitingly 
awaiting the arrival of the guest. 

The ribbon prescribed by Act of Congress was worn about the neck 
by all the Companions. From this ribbon the medal was suspended, 
presenting a ceremonial appearance in keeping with the magnificence 
of the surroimdings. 

14 



Music and flowers, handmaidens of culture and refinement, delighted 
the ear and eye, and save zest to the awaiting repast, and when Com- 
mander Veale arose to express the words of welcome which he so 
earnestly entertained and so eloquently expressed, the assembled 
throng appeard to be wanting in nothing to render their happiness 
complete. 

BANQUET 

to the Medal of Honor Legion of the United States 



MENU. 

Blue Points, Half Shell. 

Chicken Consomme Printaniere. 

Fillet de Sole. Vin Blanc. 

Cucnnihor Salad. Parislenne Potatoes. 

Sweet Broads en Coquille au Gratin. 
Roast Tenderloin of Beef. 

With Fresh Mushrooms. 
New Peas. Bermuda Potatoes. 

Maraschino Punch. 
Quail en Casserole, 

Tomato Andelouse. 
Bombe Glace. Fancy Cakes. 

Demi Tasse. 
Celery. Olives. Almonds. 

Bon Bons Fruit. 



UNION LEAGUE. PHILADEDPHIA. 
Friday Evening, November the seventh, 1902. 



TOASTS 

Toastmaster, Commander Moses Veale. 



Invocation by the Chaplain. 



Address of Welcome by the Commander. 
Song, America. 



The President of the United States. 

The incarnation of the Ivopul)lic's glory; the cumulative voice and being 

of a great and progressive nation. 

Responded to by Colonel G. G. Benedict. 

Song— The Star Spangled Banner. 



The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 

Her vast natural resources, together with her boundless Patriotism and 

Benevolence, places her as the cap stone of the unity of States. 

Responded to by Lieutenant Governor J. P. S. Gobin. 

Song— Pennsylvania. 



The City of Philadelphia. 

Liberty's god-mother and Liberty's defence. 

Responded to by His Honor Mayor Ashbridge. 

Song— Rally Round the Flag. 



The United States Army, 

In time of war the nation's defence; in time of peace the 

nation's security. 

Responded to by General O. O. Howard. 

Song— Tenting on the old Camp Ground. 



15 



The United States Navy. 

With pride the Nation hails her glorious deeds. 

Responded to by Admiral George W. Melville. 

Song— Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean 



The Medal of Honor Legion, 

Whose guests we thrice vrelcome. 

Responded to by General W. C. Heermance. 

Song— Glory, Glory, Hallelujah. 



The American Volunteer. 

The Nation's bulwark in time of war; the Nation's conservator 

in time of peace. 

Responded to by General Daniel E. Sickles. 

Song— When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again. 



Our Sister Societies. 

We clasp hands with them in their good work. 

Responded to by General Horatio C. King. 

Song— Marching Through Georgia. 



The Women, 

Man's comfort in sorrow; his inspiration to noble deeds, the monitor 

of his life and the source of liis pleasures. 

Responded to by General L. G. Estes. 

Song— Home, Sweet Home. 



Our Guests and Friends. 

They have honored us by their presence; we thank them for 

the honor. 

Responded to by General Thomas J. Stewart. 

Song— Auld Lang Syne. 



Near the time for serving the last course each guest was presented 
with a souvenir menu, handsomely incased in a kid covering, bearing 
the full-sized army medal on the front and the navy medal on the back, 
beautifully embossed and in colors. The menu was designed by one of 
our Companions. 

Responses to Toasts at a Banquet to the Medal of Honor 
Legion of the United States 

Union League, Philadelphia, 
Friday evening, November 7, 1902. 



A report from stenographic notes. 
Jos. I. Gilbert, 
Stenographer, 

1319 Filbert street, Phila. 
The Twelfth Annual Reunion of the Medal of Honor Legion, held at 
Philadelphia, closed on the evening of November 7, 1902. with a ban- 
quet in the club house of the Union League, at which the members were 
present with their wives, daughters and other members of their fam- 
ilies. 

The banqueting hall was gayly decorated with the national colors 
and resplendent with floral displays. 

The toasts were announced and the responses thereto delivered be- 
tween the courses of the banquet. 

Commander Moses Veale officiated as toastmaster. 



Invocation by the Chaplain, Rev. Dr. Wm. S. Hubbell. 

i6 



■¥^. 








MAJOR Moses Veai_e 
CoMMArMDeF=j Medal of MorsjOR L-Ecaiorsj 

EL-ECT-eO C3C-rOi3EF» "lO-TH, -190-| 



Address of Welcome by the Commander 

I have the pleasure, on behalf of the Medal of Honor Leg-ion, as the 
Commander, to welcome to our annual banquet the distinguished sol- 
diers and sailors who have honored us with their presence. 

When we look back over the history of our country we are im- 
pressed witli the fact that the first overt act of resistence, by the Colo- 
nies, to the oppression of the British Government, the first blow sti-uck 
in that series of events which led up to the Declaration of Independence, 
was on the water, by the inchoate navy of the Colonies; and from that 
time until the end of the Revolutionary War and during the War of 
3812. then again at ^Manila and Santiago, the pages of our history are 
illumined with the deeds of our navy and made brilliant with the names 
of men who have been found worthy by the judgment and voice of the 
world to occupy the highest places in the temple of fame. To men- 
tion all the names of those who have gained immortal fame and renown 
in the army of our country, from Washington to the latest soldier in 
Manila, upon whom has been conferred the medal of honor for distin- 
guished gallantry, would fill more volumes than could he read in a life- 
time. Historians and poets have attempted to describe the battles of 
our army in the one hundred and twenty-five years from Lexington 
to the latest skirmish in the Philippines, and the subject is far from 
being exhausted: and historians and poets yet unborn will find rich 
material from which to honor, praise and do jvistice to the gallant and 
brilliant deeds of the American soldier. The effect upon the world's 
history of the achievements of the army and navy of the United States 
cannot yet be measured, but we can see now some of the fruits, outside 
of our own country, garnered into the storehouse of personal liberty and 
human freedom as the result of the brilliant and patriotic exploits of our 
soldiers and sailors. The liberation of the serfs of Russia and the 
emancipation of the slaves of South America are some of the beneficent 
results which followed from what had been accomplished for liberty 
by the officers and soldiers of our army and the officers and sailors 
of our navy. There is no one who more devoutedly and earnestly pi-ays 
that peace may overspread the world, and that wars may be no more, 
than the soldier or sailor who has been in the deadly struggle with 
death in battle and yet when war becomes necessary to protect the 
weak and insure personal liberty and human freedom, the soldier and 
sailor engaged has developed the highest and noblest sentiments and 
principles of true manhood. Moral as well as physical courage is de- 
veloped, and a higher appreciation of liberty— unselfishness and self-sac- 
rifice for the benefit of others brings out the most beautiful and noble 
traits of human natxu'e and a willingness to give life itself that others 
may live and enjoy life and liberty, makes man more like God 

I welcome the representative from the State of Pennsylvania as the 
representative of nearly six millions of people, who give progress to the 
State and nation by their skill, energy, judgment and patriotism. Penn- 
sylvania is second, almost eciual to tlie first, among the most powerful 
States of the American Union. In the birth and development of our 
great government of free and self-governed people her influence was and 
is most powerful. To the cause of free education she is the most liberal 
contributor. Of the nation's defenders from '61 to '65 this State con- 
tributed nearly four hundred thousand men, and upon her soil was 
fought the great battle which turned the tide and made the safety 
of the Union a certainty. Among the list of the great generals 
of the war she gave to the tablet of fame. Hancock, Meade, McClellan, 
Keynolds. Gregg and ni.Tuy others. I need not mention the names of the 
great army of men who by statesmanship, eloquence, science and art, 
have made the name of Pennsylvania famous. 

I welcome the Mayor of the city of Philadelphia— the ninth city of 
the world, the third city of America and, in reserve power of moral 

17 



and lutellectual worth, standing the equal of the first. Founded on the 
corner-stone of peace yet she has ever stood ready, through her patriotic 
sons and daughters, to give life and pledge fortune and sacred honor in 
the defense of personal liberty and human freedom. There may be social, 
financial and political mutations, but the moral, intellectual and patriotic 
forces will i-emain ever ready to assert and maintain their supremacy. 
Her people are the trustees of the almost sacred bell which proclaimed 
liberty throughout the world and of the building in which the charter 
of liberty was signed. 

I welcome the women— the mothers, wives, daughters and sisters. 
They i-equire no eulogy. They are in themselves a text, a sermon, a 
eulogy. On the battlefield, in the hospital, and on the march they were 
ministering angels; with the soft touch of the hand on the fevered 
brown allaying pain and by a loving word giving comfort to a distressed 
soul. Woman is at the cradle to take undeveloped humanity and bring 
soul, body and mind to the highest development of created being. The 
Christian world acknowledges her worth, and man is ever ready to bow 
before her virtues and acknowledge that he would be undone without 
her. 

I welcome those citizens who have honored us not alone by their 
presence, but in furnishing for us the entertainment and welcome to this 
city. They are among those to whom the city owes much, and our 
thanks are due them and our respect will ever be with them. 

Now, companions, a word with you. We have been honored by our 
country much above other men, and 1 fear we do not sufficiently value 
and appreciate this honor. The Sovereignty of England confers the Vic- 
toria Cross, and the highest in military, naval and civil life salute that 
decoration. Germany confers the Iron Cross, and one who has been 
decorated with that badge of distinction is looked upon and treated 
with superior consideration. So do other nations confer these badges of 
distinction. And yet how little do they represent in value compared 
with the Medal of Monor which we have had conferred upon us by 
the sovereign power of our country. Tlie recipients in other countries 
performed gallant deeds, it is true, but they were fighting to maintain 
and uphold a dynasty which does not acknowledge the right of manhood 
or personal liberty. We gained ours in a cause which recognizes the 
equal rights of all men and the highest dignity of manhood. Compan- 
ions, we are not the only ones who have deserved these medals of honor. 
We have been more fortunate, that is all. Many a gallant and heroic 
comrade went down to death when performing deeds which merited 
the Medal of Honor, and many more, bearing the scars of battle received 
while doing deeds of gallantry deseiwing of the medal, have failed to 
receive it. Let us give them all we can in doing honor to their memory 
and worth. 

(The frequent outbursts of applause which accompanied the Com- 
mander's address here swelled into a tumult of cheers.) 

The Commander added: I may add that, in response to invitations 
sent out, I have received by mail the following letters: 

"White House, Washington, D. C. 
"My dear Major:— I very much appreciate the cordial invitation ex- 
tended to me to attend the reunion of the members of the Medal of 
Honor Legion, at Philadelphia, November 7. It would give me great 
pleasure to be with the members of the Legion on this occasion and ex- 
press to them in person my genuine admii-ation for their heroic services 
which so worthily merited the signal honor conferred on them by their 
country, and to assure them of my hearty best wishes for themselves and 
for their organization. As, however, the imperative nature of my en- 
gagements for the date set for the reunion makes it impossible for me 

i8 



to be present which occasions mQ very real regret, 1 beg that you will 
In person be good enough to convey to the members of the Legion this 
expression of my good will and my warm congratulations. 

Very sincerely yours. 

•'THEODORE ROOSEVELT." 

Major Moses Veale. Philadelphia. 

"Ileadciuarters of the Army, Washington. D. C. 
Major M. Veale, Commander of the Medal of Honor Legion. 

"My dear Sir:— Your very kind letter of the 27th ult. is at hand, and 
I very deeply regret that my absence in the Philippines will render 
it imix^ssible for me to be with the heroic members of the Meilal of 
Honor Legion during their convention in November next. 

"I have the highest esteem for the members of that body, which I 
recard as comi)osed of the most pati-iotic and brave men that the nation 
produced in that stirring period from 18G1 to "Go. 

"Wishing you personally and every member of the Legion every hap- 
piness and prosperity, I remain. 

"Very sincerely yours, 
"NELSON A. MILEiS, Lieutenant General." 

"Beauvoir, Woodley Lane, October G, 1902. 
"Major M. Veale, Commander. 

"My dear Sir: — I regret very much that I cannot accept the invita- 
tion to the banquet on November 7 next. I know I am depriving myself 
of a vei-y great pleasure, but it will be quite impossible for me to leave 
home at that time. Believe me, 

"Very sincerely j'ours, 

"GEORGE DEWEY." 
Song, "America." . 

THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. 

The incarnation of the Republic's glory, the cumulative voice and being 
of a great and progressive nation. 

The toastmaster (Commander Veale) introduced the first on the list 
of toasts, as above given, and called upon Colonel Benedict to respond. 

Response by Col. Geo. G. Benedict, of Burlington, Vt. 

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:— I deem it to be a high honor 
to be allowed to respond to this toast. Sometimes, when paying due re- 
spect to a high official, we honor the functionary ratlier than the man. 
In this case, I take it, we can and do pay lienor both to the Chief Mag- 
istrate as such and to the individual. 

I have a very distinct impression that Mr. Roosevelt is better un- 
derstood by the ])eople at large than any President since Abraham Lin- 
coln. Mr. Lincoln himself was greatly misunderstood during his life 
by vast numbers of people. He has been caricatured recently in a pop- 
ular novel. It remained for death and time to reveal him to many in 
his true and noble character. Grant was a sphinx, and I might instance 
Hayes and Harrison and other Presidents who have been gi-eatly mis- 
judged. But Mr. I{nosevelfs character is so transparent that we can 
understand and appreciate him right along at something like his true 
worth. Though iie is now but forty-four— the youngest of the Presidents 
—he has been longer in public office than many of his predecessors. 
He was. as you remember, but twenty-two when he made his mark as a 
legislator in the New York Assembly. Then, we know that for six years 
as a member of the National Board of Civil Service Commissioners he 
was doing high service to the nation. It was a good thing for the great 

19 



city of New York when he was appointed Police Commissioner and 
President of the Police Board. Jacob Riis has told us how "Harroun al 
Roosevelt" became a terror to evil doers in and out of the police force, 
as he made his mighty rambles incognito about the citj% and how the 
order and peace of the metropolis improved under his administration. 

From that office he stepped into the i-esponsible office of Assistant 
Secretary of the Navy, which he resigned when there was fighting to be 
done in Cuba, in order to organize his regiment of rough riders. We 
know how he distinguished himself in action at Las Guasimas and on 
the bloody slope of San Juan Hill. Next he became Governor of New 
York— an office only second to that of President in responsibility and 
importance. Then he was literally forced into the Vice Presidency. In 
all these cases the office sought the man and the man proved equal to 
the office. Of course we know that he is an author of no mean quality. 
The books of history, biography and wild life as a sportsman are widely 
read. 

We have, all of us, been watching him since, thi'ough the death of the 
lamented President McKinley, he became President; and we must 
have admired the splendid nerve, courage and high purpose to be the 
president of the whole people, which he shows. In his recent action in 
reference to the coal strike he has done what no monarch in Europe 
would have dared to undertake. He steered right into the breakers, and 
it was not by mere luck that he came through all right and that the peo- 
ple have coal to burn. I know of no such thing as chance as an element 
of success in a high executive office. The man who succeeds in such 
an office succeeds by virtue of ability, wisdom, honesty, courage and 
leadership; and it is because he exhibits such qualities that the people 
of the United States honor and trust President Roosevelt. 

He does not suit everybody. Amid the currents and counter-currents 
of ambition and self interest in our political life the Angel Gabriel 
could not please every one, if placed at the helm of State. But Mr. 
Roosevelt pleases the plain people. They believe in his honesty, sincer- 
ity and strong unselfisli purpose. Through the glamor of the office they 
see the man. He may not quite wear his heart upon his sleeve, but he 
lets us see that he has a heart and a big one. OEe uses language not to 
conceal his thought or to take the place of thought. He sees clear and 
thinks straight, in Matthew Arnold's words; and he talks straight, he 
shoots straight, he walks straight and he lives straight. 

The people are back of Theodore Roosevelt. They trust his hon- 
esty, his courage and his sense of duty; and they will look out for his 
future. We do right to hojior him; and in a sense honors are easy 
between him and us, for we know that he holds us in high esteem. I 
have heard him say more than once that there was no badge the pos- 
session of which he so envied its wearer as the Congressional Medal 
of Honor for distinguished service in action in the War for the Union. 
(Applause.) 

Song— "The Star Spangled Banner." 



THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA. 

Her vast natural resources, together with her boundless patriotism and 
benevolence, place her as the cap-stone of the unity of States. 
The toastmaster announced the above toast, and called upon the 
Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania. General Gobln, to respond. 

Response by Hon. J. P. S Gobin, Lieutenant Governor of 
Pennsylvania 

(General Gobin received a cordial greeting and his remarks were 
frequently applauded.) 

Mr. Chairman. Ladies and Gentlemen: — It certainly is a distinguished 
honor to appear as the representative of the State of Pennsylvania in 
this assemblage, and I appreciate it fully. I recall reading, many years 



ago, of an occasiou when, in cue of the court rooms of France, a man 
was arraigned before a magistrate for some offense and was asked his 
vocation. Ijooking over the head of the Justice, where a portrait of 
Voltaire was linnging, he replied, "I would say that I am a poet, but I 
stand in the presence of Voltaire." if I looked t?o my right or to my 
left or in front of me to-night, and brought together, as a musician brings 
together in one medley the favorite songs of the day, the many incidents 
of history represented by the men who surround me to-night, I would 
almost hesitate to avow in this presence that I had ever been a soldier. 
Here are the army and navy; Gettysburg and its heroes, with Sickles on 
the right and Howard on the left; and in front of me the rank and 
file, tlie men who swung the sword and carried the musket. We have 
here, representing the navy, the distinguished Admiral from the North 
Pole, whose ability is reflected in the worlvings of the machinery of the 
numerous war ships that fill the seas everywhere and carry our flag to 
every port and every land. Here also is the modest Clark, of the Oregon, 
the hero, of an ocean trip unparalleled in audacity and tlie most suc- 
cessful iu history. Then, ]\Ir. Commander, I look into the faces of the 
distinguished comrades in front of me, who are bearing the medals 
of honor bestowed by a nation— for what, sir? Not for the ordinary 
services of the day, but for services which rendered tliem distinguished 
above their fellows. And in welcoming them to the State of Penn- 
sylvania to-night I do so with the greatest pleasure because in every 
portion of our extensive domain, there is an appreciation that never dies 
of the valor and heroism of the American soldier. 

Pennsylvania occupies a unique position in the galaxy of States. 
It took Pennsylvania until 1821 to realize that she was one of the 
United States and was not so large a part of the government as to be 
the equal of the other i*emaining twelve of the original confederacy of 
Slates. Up to 1821, in Pennsylvania, our courts resisted the power of 
the Federal Government to enforce the decrees of the United States 
Coui-ts. the issue being directly raised over a case about a sloop. And 
yet when that great Virginian, the Chief .Justice of the United States 
declared that this was a nation, and announced the law of the Consti- 
tution, Pennsylvania accepted that declaration and has ever since been 
fighting to maintain it and all that it means. Oh, she is a great State, 
a magnificent State; and we are proud of her, proud of evei-y portion of 
the State. I will not attempt to tell you of her miles of territory, of the 
wealth that lies beneath her hills; nor will I attempt to tell you of the 
trouble some of us have to get that wealth out of those hills occasional- 
ly. (Significant merriment.) But it is coming out and there isn't any 
reason why any man who wears a Medal of Honor should not have 
sufficient coal to keep him warm all winter, if he is able to pay the price 
of it. On the whole, we are not as bad a people as the newspapers, par- 
ticularly those in Philadelphia, make us out. 

As a citizen of the State of Pennsylvania I am very proud of her 
two great cities. I think I may anticipate the Mayor of the city a little 
in telling him, if he may not know it, that up in the country we look 
with a great deal of interest upon the city of Philadeli)hia. Then when 
we go west four hundred miles, to the great manufacturing city of 
Pittsburg with her immense industries that are equaled nowhere; and 
when we bring together this great city of homes and the citj- of world- 
famed industries, on the Ohio, that is reaching out to the Lakes and is 
troing to get them one of these days, you can understand whj' we boast 
of the State of Pennsylvania and all it represents. 

It is a representative State for many reasons. It is i-epresentative 
in this that, in tlie early Colonial days, the Quakers of this cit>'. anxious 
to have their frontiers Avell protected, sent all the Dutch and all the Irish 
into the interior, where they b(>canio citizens of that great country. The 
first of the regiments that wont to Boston, in those Revolutionary days, 
Avas one of those Dutch regiments raised up in the interior of Pennsyl- 



vania. More than that, I listened with much interest, the other day, to 
a declaration made by an ex-Confederate officer. General John E. Rol- 
ler. He was making a speech at the dedication of a monument, in Lan- 
caster county, over the remains of a number of Revolutionary soldiers 
that had 1)een gathered at Brandywine and taken up there to be buried. 
He made the novel statement that ninety per cent, of the members of 
the celebrated Stonewall Brigade, of the Civil War, were descendants 
of Pennsylvania Germans. He had taken an account of the names of 
the men.' There was a Ramseur. a Landry, a Kemper, a Fahrney and a 
number more of familiar names. It was settled by Germans, who were 
migratory.- They gradually filled up the valleys to the southward, the 
Shenandoah and Luray Valleys. General Roller described to his audi- 
ence the names of the great mass of the men who fought in the Stone- 
wall Brigade, showing they were synonyms of the names of families in 
the section settled by the Pennsylvania Germans. It follows, there- 
fore, that we not only furnished troops for this side of the line, but 
our ancestors seem to have furnished troops for the other side of the 
line. 

Coming back to-night to the situation as we find it. we see a nation 
unparalleled in the histoiy of the world: a nation made great and pow- 
erful by the men whom you represent in this assemblage; a nation to 
which the old world is looking with surprise and wonder; a nation that 
sent down into South Africa all the meat and nearly all the flour and 
necessaries that were needed to enable Great Britain to crush out those 
poor devils who were fighting with their backs to their firesides in that 
far-away country: a nation that, under God's providence, is destined to 
solve many of the great problems that are agitating the world to-day, 
and among these problems none seem to me to be of greater significance 
than that of the right of individual ownership and control of property in 
this land of ours. 

So that when you come to Pennsylvania with her resources, her 
wealth, her magnificent men and her unequaled women, you come to a 
Commonwealth that is properly termed the capstone, the keystone, of 
the arch of this nation— a nation that is now united as it never would 
have been had it not been for the providential work that was done by 
the men of the valiant armies in the old days, when we were boys to- 
gether — a nation for which we can all ask God's blessing. (Applause.) 

Song— "Pennsylvania.' 

THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA. 
Liberty's God-mother and Liberty's Defense. 

Response by Hon. Saml. H. Ashbridge, Mayor of Philadelphia 

(Mayor Ashbridge was heartily cheered and his remarks generously 
applauded. lie said:; 

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:— In the years that are gone 
many men of honor and distinction have visited our city and many ladies 
of celebrity have favored us with their presence, but this is the first 
time in the' history of this club house when women have been permitted 
to dine after nightfall. It is appropriate and commendable that the 
women of your early lives and your present lives should meet Avith you 
here to-night, and dine with you, the members of this Legion, your 
guests and friends. 

The city of Philadelphia was founded by William Penn upon prin- 
ciples that have lived from his day until the present. Its people are of 
Quaker origin, are modest and plain in demeanor and of sober and cor- 
rect habits. We remember with pride that, in the days when you men 
were fighting for the nation and the preservation of its honor and flag. 
it was the industries of this city that wove the blankets and helped to 
make the suits of blue for your use. It was the Sanitary Commission, 

22 



\ 



an organization largely begotten through the instrumentalitj' of woman- 
kind, that raised half a million dollars and sent it to the hospitals in the 
South land to heal the wounds, relieve the sufferings and cure the dis- 
seases of the soldiers of the Republic. We are not unmindful of the fact 
that, as they came from the East and were passing through tliis city in 
thousands, they received not only from the hands of men, but from 
thousands of women food and sustenance in the Cooper Shop Refresh- 
ment Saloon; all alike bidding them God-spe«d on their way to scenes of 
battle and of strife. Aye, it was the women of this city who, in the 
hospitals of our city, were administering to the wounded, the afflicted 
and the diseased, bringing them back to life and helping to restore the 
country's defenders from the East and the West to fathers, to mothers, 
to wives and to daughters. These women to-day are respected and hon- 
ored for what they did for the soldiers of the Republic in the early '60's. 

Let me say a word for our city proper— a great manufacturing town, 
as General Gobin has described, with its blazing furnaces and forges of 
steel employing countless thousands of people. Here the great textile 
industries, eiiiploying tens of thousands of operatives, are surrounded 
by the happy homes of their employes. Here the man who labors for 
his livelihood frc))n day to day has a home and a habitation for himself, 
just as the man of wealth has. where his children are reared in the do- 
mestic Iramiuillity and elevating influences of a contented household. 
Here riches are aci-umulated Ijy our magnificent financial institutions. In 
this city the honor and credit of the National (Government were pledged 
and millions of revenue were raised for its support. The bonds upon 
the sale of which the Government depended for the purchase of muni- 
tions of war and the payment of soldiers in the field were sold here by 
Jay Cooke, and the proceeds furnished to the Government for the prose- 
cution of the war for the l^nion. 

Why tlien should we not be proud of our past and of the evidences 
of prosperity which we see around and about us, in the great agrega- 
tlons of wealth, in the busy hives of industry and in the magnificent in- 
stitutions of learning which adorn our city. In addition to our colleges 
and private schools of education, we have our public schools, the cur- 
riculum of which is almost equal to that of our most advanced colleges, 
where the poorest child can have an opportunity of gaining a splendid 
education in the development of his American genius and in fitting him- 
self for an exalted position in life. 

The people of our city are modest indeed in their pretensions, and 
so is your Legion, for in it you recognize comradeship and the valor of 
the soldier rather than exalted position or rank. Each man of you is 
the eiiual of his fellow: there are no lines of demarcation though one 
member wears the stars of a general and another wears the chevron 
of a sergeant or a corporal. All men are equal in your organization, and 
before the American public all your comrades are alike in rank and sta- 
tion. You observe this great democratic principle, which has been 
the hall-mark of the American public and which has helped to make 
this great nation of ours expand and grow until it is the envy 
of the civilized world. And we, as I'hiladelphians, maintain and try to 
perpetuate that principle. Men here are not measured by who their 
forefathers were or what titles of honor and distinction have been con- 
ferri-d upon them. Women here are not measured by what blood and 
ancestry may be theirs or by their descent from a scion of royalty or a 
distinguished family abroad, but the women of this town, thank God, 
are measured for their virtue, their womanhood and their other noble 
qualities. We have the dearest of mothers, the best of wives, the 
sweetest and most loving of daughters. W'e are proud of them as we 
are of our sons. And we are proud to-night of the men who shouldered 
the musket, went to the front and protected and preserved not only this 
city, but this nation of ours. From the I'anks of Philadelphia's sons 
went the beardless youths who stood upon the hills beyond the city, 

23 



helping to guard and protect this municipality until yoa, the veterans of 
the South-fand, came up on your weary marches and at Gettysburg 
placed the seal of heroism and valor upon the brow of the volunteer 
American soldier. 

We are honored indeed to have you here in our midst, brief as has 
been your stay v^ith us, only from yesterday eve until to-morrow morn, 
yet our people, our newspapers, our homes and our hearts have given 
you a gladsome and a tender welcome; and when you go hence, back to 
your homes, whether they be upon the mountain peaks of the East or 
beyond the great divide of the West, let it be with the assurance that 
of all the places in which you have met in the past years, none have 
given you a more generous welcome or entertained for you more sincere 
and lasting sentiments of regard and admiration than the city of Phila- 
delphia. 

We like to have associations of every kind— religious, fraternal, comy- 
mercial and manufacturing— to assemble in this city, the Mecca of 
patriots in the days that tried men's hearts and souls; here where the 
independence of our Republic was written and proclaimed; here where 
the sweet tones of the Liberty Bell were first heard, tones which re- 
verberated throughout this great land of ours; here where every school- 
boy and school girl is taught that those hallowed but now silent tones 
proclaimed the birth of our nation. Our city possesses many such his- 
toric relics suggestive of patriotic memories. In contrast with the mon- 
archies of Europe, where kingdoms and empires are based upon the tra- 
ditions of a king or an emperor or of some dynasty of the past, we en- 
joy a glorious heritage of liberty and independence, in the full fruition of 
man's individual capacity for self government. 

Why then should we not be proud of Philadelphia— not alone those 
who were born here, but those who have come among us and grown 
up in our midst? We have here no distinctions of class or heredity, for 
we care not where the man was born or what creed or religious faith 
he may profess; it is the man himself that counts with us, not titles or 
distinctions or any consideration of whence he came. 

Let me again tender to you our tribute of admiration, for it cannot 
be too oft repeated, and assure you of the honor and respect we enter- 
tain for the soldiers of our nation, for the men who have bled, the men 
who have died, the men who have suffered, the men who have given all 
except their God, even parents, wife and children, for— what? To save 
this Republic, to keep its Stars and Stripes forever in the firmament of 
the heavens; to give liberty and equality to all mankind; to give op- 
portunity to American youth for elevation; to better the condition of all 
humankind; to strike the shackles of slavei-y from off the limbs of the 
men in the Southern fields; to aid in making a Christian people. Why 
then should we not, as Philadelphians, thank you from our hearts while 
you are here in our midst? God bless the soldier of America, who pre- 
served and protected the flag and gave us a country to love and honor. 
(Applause.) 

Song— "Rally Round the flag." 



THE UNITED STATES ARMY. 

In Time of War the Nation's Defence; in Time of Peace the 
Nation's Security. 

Response by General O. O. Howard. 

(General Howard, upon being presented by the toastmaster as "Gen- 
eral O. Howard," good naturedly explained that his initials were "O. O." 
The applause which greeted the distinguished soldier was renewed 
from time to time during his remarks. He said:) 

The reason for the two O's, Mr. Chairman, although I don't claim 
any credit for it, is that my ancestors were English and Scotch, not 

24 



Irish. One O would have been right perhaps if I belonged to Ireland, 
though they say one ancestor of mine did belong there. 

Now, Mr. Chairman, I think that the fact that I have been sitting 
right opposite to a portrait of General Scott, the embodiment of the 
army, has had something to do in giving me an inspii'ation for what 
I may say, though I want my speech to be a very short one. I remem- 
ber that, just after graduating from the Military Academy, I chanced 
to be on a steamer on which General Scott was also a passenger. He 
was so dignified that I never got anywhere near him without trembling, 
and I hardly supposed he would condescend to speak to a brevet second 
lieutenant, which I then was. But he did. I had been engaged to be 
married about eight years— excuse me— and I was waiting for the time 
to come when there could be a wedding. But wliat the general said 
to mo was that a lieutenant liad no right to get married. - My heart 
rebelled against that declaration, and I did get married- yes, I have 
five sons, two daughters and twelve grandchildren. (Merriment.) But 
the loyalty of General Scott afterwards won upon me. and when, at 
the beginning of the war. he stretched out one of his hands and closing 
It tightly said: 'Tliat is the way to crush the rebellion," my heart 
went out toward him. 

The regular army! It was a small one. We had a great deal of 
drilling at West Point and a special preparation for a command. Every 
officer there (and you sent so many from Pennsylvania like General 
Reynolds) learned how to command and handle men. Reflections have 
occasionally been made upon our West Point people, in the interest of 
the volunteers, but to my mind. Mr. Chairman, there is no division. 
The army of the United States does not consist alone of the little nu- 
cleus of regulars, but it embracee what we used to call "the militia," 
and what is now called "the National Guard." I like that name, and 
I think every man in Pennsylvania who belongs to the National Guard 
is proud of its name. It seems to lift a man up when he uses that 
title. I have watched the troops from your State again and again, as 
they marched in Washington, in New York city and elsewhere, and 
I have always been proud of them. 

(General Howard here congratulated the company upon the presence 
of the ladies, who. he said, shared their husbands' sorrows and should 
share their blessings. He also complimented the speakers who had 
preceded him for their eloquence. He said he would like to follow 
the practice in a Methodist Church, which he at one time attended 
down South, where the people all over the house cried "Amen, amen." 
That was what he wanted to say now in response to the speeches he 
had heard. He continued:) 

People sometimes think there is danger in the army of the United 
States. There is none. I have been fifty-two years in the army. All 
of us are taught in the beginning to put the civil above the military 
power. The first object lesson in that direction was given here in 
Philadelphia, when our ancestors refused to legislate in the presence 
of armed men and compelled the removal of the army because they 
did not want the idea to go out that civil rights were subservient to 
military authority. 

The army of the United States is growing rapidly. I liked General 
Alger when he was Secretary of War. and I am glad Michigan has 
had the good sense to vindicate him. I have heard it said, too, by a 
man who knew what he was saying that there might be a better Sec- 
retary of War than Mr. Root, but he had never known a better one. I 
have seen some little attacks upon him, but. as you know, when snakes 
are around and begin to hiss we may infer tliat there is something in 
their way. Secretary Root is doing what he can to perfect the army 
organization, and is "doing his work conscientiously. We will always 
find pessimists around. Some people deliberately become such in or- 
der to be popular. Now, I am an old man. and I never did like pessi- 
mism. I like sanguine men, men who stand up for the old flag; a man 

25 



like General Sickles, although he did belong to that old party up there 
in New York that don't always do what some of us want it to do. 
General Sickles stepped to the front and offered his services to Abra- 
ham Lincoln like a man. 

A'olunteers? Why, we were all volunteers. Grant was out of the 
army and came back into it as a volunteer. Sherman came back into 
it as a volunteer. Because there was a little hesitation on the part 
of some narrow fellows at Washington, who would not let McCook 
and some others go out and get a commission, I threw up my com- 
mission and offered my services as a volunteer, and I came with a 
thousand men from Maine. 

Now, we want to perfect the army of the United States. Up In 
Vermont, where I live now, we have an institution of learning, de* 
voted to military science, which is second only to West Point. I allude 
to the Norwich University. I believe that every State should have a 
good institution for military purposes and that the benefit to the whole 
army, including the National Guard, that would result therefrom would 
be incalculable. The time has not come when you can afford to neg- 
lect or weaken your army or navy. On the contrary, we are out now 
before the whole world, and we need an army and navy to support the 
men who are on the front line of progress and reform. Do not be 
afraid of your army, but keep it under good control, well disciplined, 
well organized and well equipped. See to it in every State that men 
are educated to be officers. Students of law are educated for the bar, 
and education is required for every profession. So. too. it is necessary 
for a soldier to have proper training and instruction to fit him to com- 
mand any number of men. I would not have the army a very large 
one. I would not have it to be imperious in any way, but I want it 
to be the grandest service this government commands, and to be its 
most faithful servant, without reproach and without fear. 

Song— "Tenting on the Old Camp Ground." 



THE UNITED STATES NAVY. 
With Pride the Nation Hails Her Glorious Deeds. 

Response by Rear-Admiral Geo. W. Melville, Engineer-in-Chief 

U. S. N. 

(Admiral Melville, after a hearty greeting, spoke amid frequent 
demonstrations of appreciation, as follows:) 

Mr. Chairman. Ladies and Gentlemen: — It is needless for me to 
state how delighted I am to be here this evening, to join in the goodly 
endeavor of the citizens of Philadelphia and the members of the Le- 
gion to do honor to those veterans of '61-'65. who grandly bore the 
brunt of the battle, and who did more than their duty by the 
Nation. They already wear upon their breasts the recognition from 
a grateful country for their valor, but their friends and comrades gath- 
ered here to-night seek personally to express a heartfelt appreciation of 
the heroic part they took in the saving of the Nation, upon which the 
foundation of her progress and prosperity rests. 

We, of the Navy, who have striven to defend the right and main- 
tain the prestige of the Nation on the seas, warmly welcome the op- 
portunity to pay tribute to those who carried the flag to victory on the 
fields, for the army and navy are brothers in arms, whose proud heri- 
tage it is to preserve the honor of their country! Need I tell you how 
our army and navy did their duty in the past — back to back, shoulder 
to shoulder— during the War of the Rebellion, at Vicksburg. at Port 
Hudson, at Pittsburg Landing; how they both have fought the good 
fight and kept the hero's faith? Yea, a hundred times, knowing no fail- 
ure, as in the past! So, too. down to the present day. from the landing 
of a handful of our ancient and honorable Marine Coi-ps at Guantanamo 
Bay up to the time of the surrender of Santiago, we were never found 
wanting. 

26 



'I'lie (ItM'ds ol' our i!;iv:!l heroes luive always stirred the hearts of the 
people. TlH'ir victories on the sea have hevu handed down from 
father to son, and are eheiMshed as a proof of national greatness. From 
the days of John Paul Jones clear down to those of (ieor^e Dewey, the 
ni.'ifiiiiticent achievements of the navy have covered it with slory and 
served as an insjMration for treni'rations to como. No higher praise 
can b(> .yiv( n our new navy than to point to the Oregon— a ship whose 
unrivalled record added another brilliant page to our history. The 
(tregon has taken a riglitful place in the hearts of the people, beside 
the pood shij) Constitution. Each of tliese vessels, in her day. has 
piven proof to the world of American resoiu'oe and genius, of Ameri- 
can pluck and (>nergy. 

The growth of navies in (he i)r(>ceding century saw far-roaclilng 
changes. It saw the disapi)earance of lofty s]»ars. of "pregnant sail" 
and old-time sailormen. and the api)earance in their stead of a mass of 
romj)lex machinery and a host of mechanical craftsmen. Tlie tar-pot 
is a thing of the "past, and the gr(>ase-i)ot and the oil-can have taken 
Its place. 

The naval officer of modern times must not only i)ossess that im- 
tlinching valor wliich in the days of tlie old navy won respect for our 
.Xation and its flag, but he nnist be versed in many arts and sciences of 
which his gallant iiredecessor was necessarily ignorant. 

The people's eyes are now hopefully turned toward our coming 
navy, upon whose strength and etHciency the Nation will depend so 
largely to discharge the grave duties and meet the great responsiliili- 
tics inciunbent UT>on it as a world powi-r. The head and front of the 
Xation are making for a great navy, and this movement is being 
brought about and carri<'d onward by the mass of the people through 
their representatives in the (Congress. The latest appropriations have 
been exc(>edingly liberal, and every prospect is for a strong navy. We 
are going to hammer it out. All liands. both inside and outside of the 
service, will help to rear and maintain it. to launch it and keep it afloat. 

'inhere shoidd be no fear that we shall have too large a navy— rather 
that we shall have too small a one— for there is no clearer doctrine of 
history than that which connects the peace and prosperity of a Nation 
with the strength and erticiency of its armed force afloat. Of neces- 
sity Nations, like men. must be either wolves or sheep; and the Nation 
th:it makes itself a sheep must expect to be eaten. The greatest conso- 
lation that our bett(>r and higher natures may feel, when longing for 
universal ])eaci' among nations, rests in the fact that the loftiest voca- 
tions of ])eaee can only hv quietly pursued l)y the assurance of signal 
victories in possible war. by the assui'ance of a permanent state of 
powerful jirejia redness for actual conflict. 

We will not rear a huge navy with the idea of possessing a con- 
C(mtrated military foi'ce. to con(iU(>r by miglit. but to have one which 
Avill ever guide and direct, as well as secure, the right to have a navy 
not oidy suflicient for defenc(> and pi-otection. but one that shall lie fully 
able to" sustain tlie country's honor— a navy that will, by its power and 
efficiency, tend to enforc(> iieace and promote the liappy condition of the 
world. "Let us :>lwaVs bear it in mind, Avlien we see the flag floating 
proudly over our spliiidid battleships, that that flag is not the symbol 
of military des])otism. luil the emblem of justice, freedom and broth- 
erly love I 

Song— "Columbia, the (icm of the Ocean." 

TIIH Mi:i>AL OF HONOR I.F<;iON. 
"NMiOsi" C.\ies1s We Thrice Welcome. 

Response by General Wm. C. Heermance 

fJeneral llecniiancc briefly explained that he had been called upon 
nt the last nidni. nl lo act as ;t substitute for an absent member. He 



cordially welcomed the guests in the name of the Legion. He inci- 
dentally remarked that, wliile the members of tlie Legion had been spe- 
cially honored by receiving the medal, other soldiers who had per- 
formed deeds of valor liad not been accorded any recognition of tiieir 
services. ^Nlany of tlie privates in the Union ranks, whose names v/ere 
not mentioned on tlie present occasion, had contributed materially to 
the successful close of the war. 

Song— "Glory, Glory, Hallelujah."' 

THE AMERICAN VOLUNTEER. 

The Nation's Hulwark in Time of War; the Nation's Conservator iu 

Time of Peace. 

Response by General Daniel E. Sickles 

(General Sickles was enthusiastically greeted. His remarks, begin- 
ning in a humorous vein, were interspersed with frequent outbursts of 
merriment and applause. He said:) 

Mr. Commander. Comrades, Ladies and Gentlemen:— I must im- 
prove this opportunity, tlie first I have had, to tliank you. my com- 
rades, for the honor you have done me to-day in designating me as your 
chief for the coming year. H may be for me rather a severe test to 
succeed your present Commander, whose administration of his office 
during the past year has elicited such universal praise from the whole 
Legion, but I shall do the liest I can to foUoAV worthily in his foot- 
steps. It is indeed a distinction of whicli any soldier may be proud to 
be chosen as the chief of this body of men, foremost, as you are, among 
the distinguished soldiers of tlie country, designated by your govern- 
ment, as you have been, as the bravest of the brave. And when it is 
rememliered that you number only. a few hundred and that you have 
been selected from an army that numbered millions you may well re- 
joice in the honors you enjoy. 

Military history may be searched in vain for parallels to your or- 
ganization. The Act of Congress which authorized the President to 
grant these tokens i-estricted his selection of recipients within lines 
more severely drawn than in any other military or naval order, and 
therefore it is tliat whenever you present yourselves in any part of our 
own country or abroad, where the signiticance and meaning of your 
emblem is known, you are sure to enjoy unusual recognition. But I 
must be measured in your praise because you iiave already to-night 
received adulation enough to turn the heads of even older and wiser 
men than you are. You have shared to-night with Pennsylvania and 
Philadelphia in all that exhaustive vocabulary of praise which only 
Pennsylvanians and Philadelpliians are familiar with. H the speech of 
my friend Gobin could be translated into all the languages of Europe 
and published broadcast, I am sure there would not be a vacant spot 
on the soil of I'ennsylvania for additional immigrants. According to 
General Gobin, Pennsylvania is the long lost Eden of the world; every- 
thing liere is precisely as the Maker of the Universe intended it should 
be. Since you stand on a level with Pennsylvania, nothing more re- 
mains to be desired. 

I am not at all disposed to question tliese panegyrics, but even 
Gobin left out one or two things he might have said in praise of Penn- 
sylvania. For example, he did not mention that so perfect is the con- 
dition of things in this Commonwealth that the great bulk of its citi- 
zens are almost entirely relieved from any supervision over their pub- 
lic affairs. The administration of the government of Pennsylvania 
has reduced itself to a few gentlemen, who save the people all trouble 
in its regulation. 

General Gobin (aside) — You do pretty well in New York, General. 

General Sickles— Yes; we are such near neighbors that it is ditticult 
to resist your example. 

28 




ROM A PHOTOGRAPH, COPYRIGHT 
B> J E. PURDY, BOSTON 



Major GiETNeral Damiel e: , Siokues, U- S. A. wetirc 

C^OM M A rsj D E: F? MEDAU OF" H <3 M O H? I_ E^ G I O FM 
EUECTED rSIOVEM F3 EF? "7 "TM , "1 Q O 2 



But I won't attempt to fill up any more of the omissions that Gen- 
eral Gobin loft in his flatterinjr picture of Pennsylvania. It is all that 
William Penn, in his sweetest dreams, ever forecast. Lony may Penn- 
sylvania enjoy her distinction, and as Jons; as she holds her advance 
in the path of excellence I hope that New York will follow her lead. 

I was surprised to learn from the Mayor that this is the first occa- 
sion on which ladies have been Avelcomed to a Union League Club re- 
past. That is the only defect in the picture of Pennsylvania that has 
been disclosed so far. In that particular the Union League Club miglit 
come over to New York for instruction, for ladies have been welcomed 
at o\u" banquets ever since I was a boy. So you see, Mr. Mayor, tliat 
Philadelphia has something to learn even now. Nothing could be 
more natural, however, than tliat this innovation should liappen to- 
nlght, because we have heard from good authority that "None but 
the brave deserve the fair." Tliey are inseparable. For myself. I am 
always happy to welcome ladies to any table where I am permitted 
to sit, for I have always observed that wherever tliey are present they 
impart an elevated tone, the charm of culture, to the entertainment 
they grace; tlieir presence is beside the surest pledge of decorum and 
dignity upon public occasions. 

Another thing I have observed to-niglit witli considerable Interest is 
the novelty of interlarding tlie bill of fare witli speeclies. I never saw 
that done before. As you may tliereby escape indigestion we can con- 
gratulate our hosts upon this invention. I find that our friend from 
Vermont (Colonel Benedict"), in his felicitous eulogy of "The Pivsldent 
of the United States." was sandwiched between "blue points" and 
" consom77ie." My friend General Gobin, in his eulogy' of P,enn- 
sylvania was inserted between "/?'e< de sole" and "cucumber salad:" 
Howard lietween "sweetbreads" and "tenderloin;" and as to myself, 
the flattering distinction was given to me to follow ^^ quail rn Casse- 
role.'^ A more varied 1)111 of fare I have never seen. 

I was delighted to hear General Howard give the statistics of his 
family. I had no idi>a they were so numerous—a dozen boys and girls 
and a platoon of grancU-hildren. I suppose my friend General King 
would exclain), "General, are the returns all in yet?" If Howard were 
a candidate for President he would capture the whole Irish vote, be- 
cause he is not only "O'Howard." but he is "O'O'Howard." I thought 
I could see Aery clearly when he pointed out the number of O's to 
which he is entitled that what I have long suspected is the truth, that 
Howard, before he dies, will turn up as a candidate for tlie Presidency 
And. if he does. I shall A-ote for him. They run very aa'cU. these Irish 
candidates. \Ve h;ive just elected one in Ncaa' York— a Mr. "O'Dell" — 
you have heard of him. All the O'Raffertys, the O'Flahertys and 
O'Donnells and the O'Connors voted for O'Dell. That's the way he 
got in. AtuI they will all vote for O'O'HoAvardI 

I assure you. Mi-. Commander, that I appreciate tliis oppoi'tunity 
you have kindly given me to say a Avord for the American volunteer. I 
believe it is quite the custom at public dinners to wait until the end of 
your speech before alluding to the toast assigned to you. I would se- 
lect as an illustration of the American volunteer the Army of the Poto- 
mac. That Avas an army of volunteers. To be sure, there aavis here 
and there a regular to be seen, but they were so fcAA' in number as 
seldom to be noticed excejit now and then in some notal)le exhibition 
of gall.'intry or of military skill. The Army of the Potomac possessed 
every characteristic tliat g'oes to make up a great and successful mili- 
tary organization. Its losses in battle AA-ere larger than the losses of 
all the armies of the T'nited States combined, from the War of Inde- 
pendence to the close of the Spanish War. That is a proof of its endur- 
ance, of Its sacrifici>s. of its patriotism and of its power. It always had 
for Its adversary the most formidable, the best equipped and the ;iblest 
led of all the armies of the Confederacy. The Army of the P<itomae 
ended the war in triuiiiyih fnr the Union. Harassed as its <-nminan(hM-s 



were by the defects of our militar.v ornanization. the Army of the I*oto- 
mr-o made a record for military ciualities that cannot be surpassed. 
And, as I have said, it was an army of volunteers. If nations desire to 
Jea.rn that great standins- armies are not necessary; that all nations 
may, If they choose, depend upon volunteers for their defense and for 
the maintenance of their institutions, the history of the Army of the 
Potomac will teacli them that lesson. 

Those of you who have good memories will recall that at the be- 
.irinning of our war we were told we covild never raise volunteer armies 
large enough to piit down the rebellion. But we raised them, organized 
them, equipped them. Then we were told that such armies, fresh 
levies, undisciplined, untutored in war, could never conduct a long war 
to a successful conclusion. Well, our armies marched and counter- 
marched and fought and conquered. Then we Avere told that if we 
raised these great armies we could never get rid of them: that they 
would become the masters of the country they were organized to serve 
and siistain. Rut when the work of our volunteer armies was done, 
they vanished like the mists in the face of the sunshine. In a day they 
were dissolved and disappeared, and no trace of them remains except 
in the organization knoAvn as the Grand Army of the Republic, an or- 
ganization of volunteers, non-political, non-sectarian, embracing men 
of every nationality, of all faiths and of all complexions, brought to- 
gether only by sentiments of fraternity and patriotism— an organiza- 
tion created to save what it had won in battle. History may be 
searched in vain for such a record as file American volunteer has made 
for liimself and for the Republic to which he belongs. 

Here I must ])ause lest you be spoiled by too much praise. It is not 
only women who are susceptible to tiattery. Soldiers have as strong 
a liking for it as women. If you had any faults I would mention them, 
but I am unable to add shades or shadows to the picture of you that 
has been drawn to-night— you are, indeed, quite perfect. (Long con- 
tinued applause.) 

OUR SISTER SOCIETIES. 
■NYe clasp hands with then) in their good work. 

Response by General Horatio C. King 

(General King was enthusiastically received and frc(iiiently ap- 
plauded. Prefacing his response with several humorous anecdotes, he 
continued:) 

I am a young man, as you see, and when I hear these old fellows 
sitting around here talking of Gettysburg and what occurred forty 
years ago, I do not ri'alize that time has tiown so rapidly. It seems 
to me that it was only yesterday Avhen we were all boys together, 
marching shoulder to shoulder and touching elbows in that momentous 
and inighty struggle. 

I recall that at a reunion of the Society of the Army of the Potomac 
General Sherman, who was assigned this toast of "Our Sister Societies" 
said: "Brothers. I don't know why it is you call tliem sisters. Is it 
because you thought them effeminate? I don't think my old Army of 
the Tennessee was effeminate, but they were brothers in arms, they 
loved you and they thought of you — and, oh. from what a distance." 

I wish I had time to speak adeciuately of what that noble army of 
hoys of our sister societies did in the great war. "We know, and we 
say it Avithout immodesty, that they and we cemented the dismem- 
bered sections of this great nation that was born in the throes of 
revolution and re-established the government upon the firm foundation 
of republican principles. The war of Td to 'fi^ supplemented the first 
great strugirle and secured an indissoluble Union. 

But I have other thoughts crowding my brain to-night. I am not 
accustomed to speak in a minor key. and I would like to avoid it after 

.30 



all tlio laudation and exultation wo have heard here to-night over the 
grandeur of this country and the greatness of its resources. Yet I have 
arrived at that- period of life when it behooves one to be serious at 
times. I have i)assed tlie age of overweaning ambition for political pre- 
ferment, and I think 1 can observe things as they are and talk plainly 
to my fellow citizens witho\it apprehension that I may suffer by my 
frankness. Now. if there is one great principle tliat was established 
by tlie Constitution of the United States, by tlie sacrifices of our fore- 
fathers and by our (,wn military services, it is tlie riglit of individual 
liberty in all things lawful, the riglit of every man to work where he 
pleases, wlien lie pleases and for wliom lie pleases. When by combi- 
nations of any character you restrict or take away that inalienable 
riglit, you destroy the very foundation principle of the Republic. I am 
not a pessimist. I believe a pessimist is one Avho, having the choice 
of two evils, takes both. I am not a pessimist by any means. I have 
an enduring and unbounded faith in the good common sense and loyalty 
of the American p(>ople: yet at times I am a little anxious. Just one 
short year ago the civilized world was shocked by the dastardly assas- 
sination of one of the sweetest and noblest of men, our President. A 
wave of indignation encircled the globe. Our own country especially 
was wrought up to the highest pitch of excitement. While the Pres- 
ident lay on his death-bed, the wanton assault was denounced at Cleve- 
land, the Grand Army then being in session. A monster meeting was 
held in the Ai-mory; more than seven thousand people were addressed 
by the Governor of Ohio, Senator Ilaniia, Senator Fairbanks and 
other distinguished speakers. I was an humble participant on behalf 
of the Grand Army. Chief stress was laid on the necessity for laws to 
wipe out anarchists and make their residence impossible here or else- 
where outside of prison. The great assemblage manifested in most 
emphatic manner llieir earnest approval of the sentiment, and the 
wildest excitement jiervaded that vast audience. But what has been 
done since then? Not a thing except to introduce into the Congress of the 
ITniti'd States bills that after a six months session lie sleeping in com- 
mittee. Why is this? It is because our rei)resentatives seem to think 
less of the interests of their country than of the possible effect of some 
legislative act which may defeat their re-election. Statesmanship ap- 
pears to be among the lost arts. 

Now. gentlemen, these are plain truths. No man should be afraid 
to utter them. A proper and string(>nt law ought to have been passed 
within a month after the assembling of Congress. It Avas presented 
only to be loaded down with amendments and side-tracked. Why? 
Because its passage might affect the success of the dominant party. 

.Tust a reference to those who for the past two years have been 
traducing our noble army in the Philippines. These slanderers call 
themselves anti-imperialists. I call them anti-American. 

Let US come now to scenes and incidents of which the echoes have 
not yet passed away. For five months a great industry in this State of 
Pennsylvania has been paralyzed, and the paralysis has affected the 
people of every State in the I'nion. Lawlessness and disorder have 
existed under the very eyes of the National Guard, and I have yet to 
hear of a single punishment or of more than one indictment. Now, I 
know and you also know the reason for this. Politics! politics! I tell 
you. gentlemen, that temporizing with lawlessness is an invitation to 
anarchy. Countenance it and the Republic is doomed. Do not say 
merely "That is the right talk. General King." but go and talk it your- 
selves. Do not stand idly liy and see these things go on under a re- 
publican form of government. Let us all stand up for the liberty of 
the individual man. and demand that he shall not be intimidated by 
murder, by dynamite, by boycotting, by threats, or by any other of the 
lawless methods that have disgraced the country in the last five months. 

Let me not be misunderstood. I have not a Avord to say against or- 
ganizations of any kind that are lawful, whether they are organizations 

31 



of capital or or>?aiiiz;itions of labor. 1 believe in and favor labor or- 
ganizations. They are essential and necessary. But when they or any 
other organizations transgress the law, Avhen they resort to intimida- 
tion and disorder, to arson, to dynamiting, to wrecking of homes, to 
the murder of innocent men and to cruel persecution of helpless women 
and children, then it is time to cry a halt. If capital transgresses, 
then throttle it; if trades unions defy the law, throttle them. 

The War of the Rebellion was the result of temporizing with a great 
and aggressive social evil. If we temporize with lawlessness and dis- 
order the vicious elements will grow so bold and strong that it will 
take another four years of bloody struggle to put them down. The 
right of the individual to enjoy his lawful privileges without dictation 
or hindrance was born with the Republic, and it is here to stay. And I 
repeat I have great faith in the people, and in the working people who 
complain of the tyranny of their organizations and Avill, I believe, en- 
force a remedy. I know there is in our people— certainly in the Ameri- 
can and Americanized portion of our people— an exalted sense of right 
and justice, of loyalty to the country and fidelity to the Constitution 
of the United States." and that they will enforce respect for law and 
maintain the principles for which we fought and for which our fore- 
fathers did not die in vain. God bless our Republic. (Great applause.) 

Song— "Marching Through Georgia." 

THE WOMEN, 

Man's comfort In sorrow, liis Inspiration to noble deeds, the Monitor 
of his life and the SoiU'ce of his Pleasure. 

The Toastmaster. -The next toast on the program is "The Women." 
The companion who will i-espond to it must have been reminded by 
the familiar air just rendered by the musicians of scenes in his own 
experience years ago. He was the Adjutant General of General Kilpat- 
rick, the cavalry commander who led the advance of Sherman's army 
through Georgia. There were other troops in the field besides Kilpat- 
rick's; Sherman's entire army was in the field, but that entire ai-my 
had to be constantly on the defensive for fear Kilpatrick would capture 
their horses for his own command. Now, would you suppose for a 
moment that our comrade who will respond to the sentiment "The 
Women''- that delicate, beautiful and chaste subject— was ever en- 
gaged, with his command, in surrounding the headquarters at night 
and crippling the efficiency of our army by coaxing away the head- 
quarter horses? It doesn't seem quite possible, and yet I am dealing 
with facts. When Kilpatrick was in the advance, Avith General Estes 
as Adjutant General. I know that General Geary (on whose staff I 
happened to be serving) always doubled his headquarters guard at 
night tliat he might have some horses in the morning for his march 
through Georgia. While I did not always relish the danger of losing 
my horse. I did commend, and do now commend. General Estes as one 
of the best, the bravest, the most heroic— aye. and the kindest hearted 
—of soldiers. He can deal admirably with a subject requiring as 
gentle treatment as that of "The Women," but in a fight he is as cour- 
ageous as a knight of old who knew no fear. I have the pleasure of 
Introducing General Estes. 

(When the applause which greeted his appearance had subsided, 
General Estes spoke, amid frequent manifestations of appreciation, as 
iollows:) 

Response by General Llewellyn G. Est6s, of Washington, D. C. 

Mr. Commander. Ladies and Gentlemen:— I thank you for this pleas- 
ant greeting, at the same time I recall De Wolf Hopper's recitation of 
"Casey at the Bat." You will remember that when Casey came upon 
the field he was greeted with enthusiastic applause; the welkin rang 

32 



wilb shouts from his admirers, hut when niijihty Casey struck out, 
ftiJence reitjnod supreme. I can see my finish. 

When our wuithy Conimander assigned me this toast I said, "No," 
but that mild-mauucred jicutleman has a very emphatic way of seeing 
tliat his orders are obeyed, and said. -Yes." * Then my thoujilits went 
back to IStil. and my (h'ar old mother down in dear New England; 
how. when a boy of si.Kteen I said, "Mother. I want to go into the 
army." and she replied. ".My son, you are all I have, but your country 
needs you. Go and do your duty." Eighteen montlis rolled around. 
Carried from the battle field severely wounded ;ind nigh unto death, 
after ten days' of unconscious suffering, upon opening my eyes I 
thought I was in heaven and an angel was hovering over me. It was 
tlu^ sweet face of the dear mother who, Avith, tears streaming down 
her cheeks, was asking Cod lo give her back her boy. Only the man 
who has laid his head on the bosom of a mother and poured out his 
sorrows and troubles knows the depth of a woman's love. Comrades, 
you can have more than one wife and a dozen sweethearts, but you 
can have only one mother. God bless the mothers of oiu- landl 

We have listfMicd lo-nigbt to the praises of men. of their glorious 
<leeds in war and of their s])l(>ndid achievements in peace, and now to 
the women of our country we are proud to do homage. Gentlemen, 
it if the best and worthiest toast to wliicli we can i-espond. Great as 
Is the debt of the world at large to women, that of the American peo- 
ple to its womankind is still greater. Tlie history of our women from 
Colonial times, with its hardships and sufferings, tlirougli tlie dark 
days of our struggle for independence and during the great war 
througli whicli we iiave passed, is a magnificent record. In prosperity 
and in adversity woman has borne her part liravely and well. It is 
paid the motliers of a p(>ople determine the calibre of its men. Show 
me the man in the forefi'ont of battle, where valiant men are found. 
an<3 I will sliow you a mother of courageous mould, the higiiest type of 
womanhood. I.et us congratulate ourselves we were so fortunate in 
our motlu-rs. Conu'ades, wliat more tlian all else has made our coun- 
try the great(>st among tlie nations of the world? It was the loyalty 
and purity of .\merican womanhood. 

Through successive generations have the splendid (jualities of our 
■women b(>en handed down as a proud heritage until to-day the Ameri- 
can woman is the fin(>st of her sex that treads the earth. In art, liter- 
ature and in social life, as daughter, wife and mother, she has among 
tier kind no superiors and few ecjuals. Her fame has reached through- 
out the world, and the record of her achievements in every walk of 
life is becoming more brilliant with the passage of the years. Her 
triumphs uK^et us on every hand, and the American woman has be- 
come a name to conjure with. All men have unbounded admiration 
for a lovely woman; young men lose their hearts to her and do foolish 
tilings, while old men lose their heads and do likewise. 

We look to our women for all that is best and truest in human 
nature, autl we find it there. Om* pet boast of being the superior ani- 
mal is rapidly becoming a tradition, while we are deserving of the 
symi)athy of the woman who once said: "I am sorry for man just at 
that awkward age b(>twe(>n the ape and the angel." 

Not only do Ave need Avoman's sympathy, not only do we need them 
as guides, counselors and friends, but at almost every turn in life their 
l>resence is either an inspiration for our deeds or a benediction for our 
«lns. From them Ave take our highest ideals and culture, and to them 
Ave should render back manifold the fruits of the seeds they have 
in)i)lanted in us. It is only Avith a gravity born of deep apprecMation 
that I speak of their virtues or their charms; and as the beauty and the 
A'alue of her presence in this Avorld comes daily home to us, we ?<now 
that God's greatest and fairest creature is the American Avoman. (Ap- 
plause.) 

Song— "Home, Sweet Home." 



33 



LofC, 



OUR GUESTS AND FRIENDS. 
They have honored us by their presence; we thank them for the honor. 

The Toastniaster.— You have heard this evening of tlie American 
volunteer during the war; you have lieard from (general Siclvles about 
the Grand Army of the Republic and the maintenance of that organi- 
zation for the preservation of Avhat is left of the army of volunteers. 
They stand ready at all times and under all conditions, when their ser- 
vices may l)e required by the go\ernment. to give those services as 
willingly as they gave them from ISiil to '(!5. A short time ago. when 
that organization met In general convention, one of the largest con- 
ventions possibly that it has ever held, they honored one who is with 
us to-night by electing him the Commander. I would like you now to 
hear a few words from the present Commander of the Grand Army 
of the Republic, (ieneral Stewart, the Adjutant General of Penn- 
sylvania. 

Response by General Thomas J. Stewart 

(General Stewart's remarks were much enjoyed and ai)(i:)la tided. 
He said:) 

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen. Conn-ades:— I understood 
that I was not to be called upon to-night, and only a few moments ago 
Avas I advised by the genial presiding otticer of this occasion that I 
would be expected to say something in response to the last toast on 
the program. The honor is late and I know you don't want to b*- de- 
tained. That recalls to mj- mind a story about a public lecturer who had 
always been careful to keep his engagements. He told the story liim- 
self. He said: "I had always prided myself upon keeping all my 
engagements. On one occasion I was to appear in a town in Nortli 
Dakota, but I ran into a blizzard, and when I got to the station at the 
place the snow Avas about tive feet deep; there was not a vehicle of any 
kind about the station; nobody was there to meet me. I asked where 
the liuilding Avas where the lecture Avas to be given and finally Avas 
directed by the station master Avhere to go. I got into the yard of 
the place and, through the rear, to the stage half an hour late; and 
there, in the center of that hall, sat one man. I said to him: "I came 
here to deliver this lecture; I have never missed an engagement, and 
I have tried hard to keep it to-night. I am half an hour late, and I 
propose, in consideration of your coming here to listen to me. to give 
you this lecture through from the beginning to the end." The man 
got up and said: "For God's sake don't— I am the janitor and I Avant 
to go home." (Applause.) 

(After narrating another humorous story, (xend'al SteAvart con- 
tinued :) 

I have been asked to say a word for our guests and friends, and in 
a fcAV Avords I Avant to present to the ]Medal of Honor Legion the salu- 
tations and congratulations of their friends, and to A-oice the pleasure 
they have had on this notable occasion. I thought to-night as I sat 
here that the Medal of Honor Legion of the Ignited States of America 
cannot be dui)licated in the Avhole Avorld. and that the army and navy 
of the nation cannot be duplicated. Ever since battles have been 
fought Avas there ever any on Avhich so much dei)ended for the human 
race as the battles that Avere fought for the su]ii)ression of the rel>e!- 
lion? Four millions and more of men gathered together under the 
banners of the contending forces, hundreds and thousands of graves 
Avere filled, there Avere unAvelcome guests at almost every home in the 
land, there were a nn'Uion and more of men Avho Avere crippled for life- 
all that for the suppression of the rebellion, all that for the liberties Ave 
enjoy to-day. all that for the unity of this great Republic of ours. For 
four" long years the whole Avorld Avatched Avith anxi(Uis and eager eyes 
the American citizen become the American volunteer soldier and, on 
more than tAA-o thousand battlefields, perfoi-m valorous deeds, do mighty 
.acts of individual courage, until he stands unsurpassed and unmatched 

34 



in all martial history. Then when the war was over and when tlie 
Union was saved the world saw the American volunteer soldier return 
to his home, lay off his uniform, hang up his musket and his sabre 
over the fireplace, go back to the duties of the farm and the shop and 
the school and the college, to the trades and professions of an Ameri- 
can citizen, content in the knowledge that he had done his full duty, 
all that a man could do for his country, and that was to offer his life 
for her. And around this board to-night are the men who were as 
true as steel in the time of the Nation's hour of travail. They are the 
men upon whom the nation leaned in those trying times. These men 
then were the boys of the land, full of hope and ambition; every road 
to fame and fortune, to joy and honor, was open to their feet; they 
had the right to contest for all the rewards of faithful citizenship and 
honest endeavor; but they turned their backs on all these, gave their 
lives to the hazard of war and for four long years stood where death 
was threatening and life was only a jest. And around tliis board to- 
night are the men to whom the people of this nation doff their caps for 
splendid gallantry, faitliful service and magnificent courage. And 
these are the men to whom she gave her medals of honor and whom 
she commended to all the world as her precious jewels and, as General 
Sickles said, "the bravest of the brave." 

This is a great occasion, one full of patriotism. But I want to 
hurry to a conclusion. Recalling what was said by my friend, General 
King, in regard to scenes of lawlessness and disorder, I want to say 
that the men of the old army have always stood for law and order and 
for all that is good and true in American citizenship, the citizenship 
that guards and protects this Republic. The people of this land know 
to-night that the men of the Medal of Honor Legion and all their old 
comrades who remain are still marching to the music of the TTnion, 
that the flag of their country is their guide and that their dearest de- 
sire is for the growth and the glory and the grandeur of this great 
Republic of ours; that their prayers are for her preservation, their 
arms ready for her defence, and that their final sacrifice, if need be, 
will be their lives given for her permanency and her perpetuity. And 
now. gentlemen, in closing, on behalf of your guests and friends, for 
all the citizenship of this Republic, for all people who love patriotism 
and admire courag(>. let me say for them all, Medal of Honor Legion, 
we salute you. Good night. (Applause.) 

Song— "Auld Lang Syne." 

The Toastmaster.— As the last duty I have to perform as Comman- 
der, I wish to thank the Medal of Honor Legion for their loyalty, for 
their support, for their kindness throughout the past year while I have 
been their Commander. I now want to turn this command over to 
General Sickles and to give him the assurance that he will come into 
command of a body of men which for patriotism, for courage and for 
gallantry has no equal in the history of the world. 

Companions, I now present to you your Commander. Give him a 
soldiers' and sailors' greeting— General Sickles. 

(The entire company instantly rose and greeted the Commander- 
elect with a round of hearty cheers.) 

General Sickles briefly expressed to the Legion his appreciation of 
their compliment. He said he had already acknowledged his sense of 
the honor conferred upon him in his selection as their chief. He added: 

It is honor enough for any soldier to command any body of volun- 
teers of the Union Army, no matter how small or how unknown; but 
for me. at the close of my career, near the end of my days, to be sa- 
luted as the chief of those who have been singled out by the nation for 
Its choicest honors is something that I did not look forward to. There- 
fore you can understand how deeply I feel what you have done for me. 
Again I thank you. (General applause.) 

ADJOURNED. 

35 



At the Banquet 



No address given to those residing in Philadelphia. 



Anderson, Everett W., Phoenixville, 

Pa. 
Anderson, Marion T., Washington, D. 

C. 
Archinal, Wm., and wife, Trenton, 

N. J. 

Benedict, Geo. G., Burlington, Vt. 
Bennett, Orson W^ and mife. 
Bennett, William T. 
Binder, Richard, and wife. 
Blackwood, Dr. Wm. R. D., and wife. 
Brosnan, John, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
Brush. George W.. and wife, Brooklyn, 
N. Y. 

Connor, Richard, and wife. 
Caldwell, Daniel, and wife. 
Clark, James G., and wife. 
Cook, John H., New York city. 
Cruse, Thomas, Wayne, Pa. 
Corson, Joseph K., and wife, Ply- 
mouth Meeting, Pa. 
Cronin, Cornelius, Brooklyn, N. Y. 

Delaney, John C, Harrisburg, Pa. 
Durney, Austin J., Centreville, Md. 
Davis, Charles C, Harrisburg, Pa. 
Drake, J. Madison, and daughter, 
Elizabeth, N. J. 

Edgerton, Nathan H. 
English, Edmund, and daughter 
Estes, General Llewellyn G., Washing- 
ton, D. C. 
Evans, John, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
Ewing, John C. 

FoUett, Job. L., New York city. 
Fuger, Fradk., Fort McHenry, Balto. 
Fassett, John B., New York. 
Fumess, Frank. 
Fleetwood, Christian A., and wife, 

Washington, D. C. 
Furman, Chester S., Bloomsburg, Pa. 

Gilligan, Ed. L.j wife and daughter, 

Oxford, Pa. 
Grant, Gabriel, New York. 
Grimes, Edw. P., New York city. 

Home, Samuel B., Winsted, Conn. 

Howard, Gen. Oliver 0., Burlington,Vt. 

Houghton, Chas. H., Jersey City, N. J. 

Howe, Wm. H., West Everett, Mass. 

Harrison, Chas. H., Charlestown, Mass. 

Hubbell, Rev. Wm. S., New York city. 

Hall, Rev. Francis, and wife, Platt«- 
burgh, N. Y. 

Hunterson, John C. 

Hopkins, Chas. F.. and wife. Boon- 
ton, N. J. 

Haring, Abram P., New York city. 

Heermance, Wm. L., New York city. 

Jamieson, Walter, Brooklyn, N. Y. 



King, Horatio C, and wife, Brook- 
lyn, N. Y. 

Kyle, Patrick J., and wife, Charles- 
town, Mass. 

Lawson, John H., and wife. 
Levy, Benj. B., and cousin, New York 
city. 

Mackie, John F. 

Martin, Sylvester H., and sister. 

Maynard, Geo. H., Waltham, Mass. 

Merriam, Henry C. Wayne, Pa. 

Mears, Geo. W., and wife, Rupert, Pa. 

Miller, James, and wife. 

Mindil, Geo. W., and wife. New York 

city. 
Mitchell, Alex. H., Harrisburg, Pa. 
Matthews, Wm., Brooklyn, N. Y. 
Morse, Charles E., New York city. 
Mulholland, St. Clair A., and Avife. 
IMcKeever, Michael, and wife. 

Nolan, John J., and wife. New YorK. 

Orth, Jacob G.. and wife. 

Phelps, Chas. L, Baltimore, Md. 

Piatt, George C, and wife. 

Petty, Phillip, Dagget, Pa. 

Postles, J. Parke, Wilmington, Del. 

Preston, Noble D., wife and daughter. 

Rafferty, Peter F., New York city. 
Rohm, Ferdinand, Harrisburg, Pa. 
Rand, Chas. F., Washington, D. C. 
Roche, David, Worchester, Mass. 
Rowe, Henry W., Boston, Mass. 

Scheibner, Martin E., and wife, Cam- 
den, N. J. 
Sears, Cyrus, Harpster, Ohio. 
Sickles, Gen. Daniel E., New York city. 
Sidman, George D. 
Stockman, Geo. H.. and wife. 
Scott, Alex., Washington, D. C. 
Scott, J. Wallace. 

Thorn, Walter, and wife, Brooklyn, 

N. Y. 
Toffev, John J., Jersey Citv, N. J. 
Truell, Edwin N., Washington, D. C. 

Urell, M. Emmit, Washington, D. C. 

Veale, Moses, and wife. 
Vanderslice, John M., and \nie. 

Wainwright, John, and wife, Wilming- 
ton, Del. 

Warfel, Henrv C, Philipsburg, Pa. 

Webb, James'W., Brooklyn, N. Y. 

Weinert, Paul H., and wife, Brigh- 
ton, Mass. 

White, J. Henry, and wife. 

Williams, Elwood A., and wife. 

Wray, Wm. J., and wife. 

Young, James M., Jamestown, N. Y. 



36 



SECOND CLASS 



Binder, Richard C. R., and wife. 
Cronin, Gerald E., Brooklyn, N. Y. 
Clark, Thomas G., and sister. 
Follett, Harry L., New York city. 
Frick, Wm. R., and wife. 
Hunterson, Anna S. 
Mitchell, Annie Ijce. 
McKeever, Elizabeth N. 



Nolan, Ed. J., New York. 
Poatles, G. Parke, Wilmington, Del- 
Richardson, May E. 
Sinnickson, Anna V. Blackwood. 
Thorn, Ijouise B., Brooklyn, N. Y. 
Veale, William M^cD., and wife. 
W^illiams, Chas. W., and wife. 



Distinguished guests at the banquet 



Mayor Samuel H. Ashbridge. 

Gen. J. P. S. Gobin, Lieut. Gov. of Pa. 

Admiral Geo. E. Alelville, U. S. N. 

Admiral Qark, U. S. N. 

Gen. Thomas J. Stewart. 

Gen. James Stewart, Jr. 

Col. Robert B. Beath. 

Gen. Louis Wagner. 

Mr. E. T. Stotesbury. 

Col. Charles A. Converse. 

Mr. P. S. Dooner. 

Mr. Joseph G. Darlington. 

Mr. Edward L. Graham and wife. 

Mr. John H. Converse. 

Mr. Edward IMcKeever and daughter. 

Shilling, Wm. H. A 



Mrs. Van Syckle Heberton, of N. Y. 
Miss Helen Brinton. 
Miss Grace Adams, Baltimore. 
Miss Mary French, New York. 
Mr. Henry E. Hayes, New York. 
Mr. Sinnickson. 
Mr. Richardson. 
Mr. H. T. Green and wife. 
J\rr. J. K. Mitchell and Mrs. Mitchell. 
Col. William M. Bunn. 
Mr. H. M. Morris and wife. 
Mr. Fred Schober. 
Mr. J. M. Brill. 
Mr. Delaney's Friend. 
Miss Howard. 
., Wilmington, Del. 



37 



